Lay Caring Ministers

Purpose

The Lay Caring Ministry committee works through our Pastors to help congregation members facing difficult times in their lives. We are all members of Holy Spirit who have been trained to walk alongside you in your time of need. We have often encountered similar life events as the ones our care receivers have. We are not trained counselors, and we do not give advice. We do not take the place of a pastor, but we often have more time to spend with you over the course of a longer journey, once the initial crisis has passed.

Many of us are also trained as Lay Communion Ministers, and will administer the Sacraments to church members who are unable to attend church regularly due to health issues.

Confidentiality

Complete confidentiality is maintained between you, the Pastor and your caregiver. Upon referral from a Pastor, your caregiver will contact you and arrange the time and frequency of meetings, and also discuss the purpose of the meetings.

Requesting a Lay Caring Minister

Any member of our congregation may request a Lay Caring Minister for a visit, communion, or a phone visitation. Please contact the church office and discuss your request with one of our Pastors.

Education

This committee also periodically sponsors informational classes for the congregation . This year we hope to present information on end of life issues; a class on planning your funeral and end of life decisions, ethical wills, and writing your life story.

Prayer Contact

Each Sunday our congregation prays for approximately five or six families in our congregation, selected alphabetically from our church directory. The Lay Caring Ministers call individuals from the weekly list to inform them that they will be prayed for the next Sunday, both by members of our committee and the congregation at large. At the time of contact, we also ask if they have special prayer concerns they would like passed on to one of our Pastors. In this manner, each family is prayed for individually throughout the year.

Our committee members also contact new mothers within the congregation and bring them a prayer shawl hand knit with prayer by a member of Holy Spirit. We also give them a book of prayers for new mothers to let them know the congregation is praying