Submitted by John Patton, Coordinator
The following passage from the Book of Micah (6:8) neatly summarizes what God expects of us as faithful followers.
…what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness
and to walk humbly with your God?
Jesus echoed this when he boiled the Law down to: love God and your neighbour. Sounds simple doesn’t it? And yet, we often struggle with it—especially the part about loving our neighbour. What does it mean to “love kindness?” Who is our “neighbour?”
I like to think that it means, at least in part, to care for and about others, to want the best for them and to reach out to them when they are hurting. In both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, the image of the “good shepherd” is often used to express this. It is from that “pastoral” image that we get the term “pastoral care.” Often, the term is capitalized—Pastoral Care—and thus acquires a formal connotation that implies special calling or training. And, indeed, some kinds of pastoral care do benefit from professional training—but by no means all.
At Woodroffe, pastoral care occurs on a daily basis and in a variety of ways. At one end of the continuum is what happens every Sunday (though not only then) when members of the congregation reach out to each other in caring and supportive ways, be it a cheerful “good morning” as we arrive, a quiet chat in the pew before or after the service, or a friendly hello when we encounter someone in the mall. The weekly bulletin reminds us of this when it notes that “we are all called to ministry.” At the other end, is the care provided, usually by the Ministers, to those in crises or situations of more acute need—typically surrounding a death or serious illness. In between are those circumstances which call for an ongoing commitment—long or short-term—by a member of the congregation to take on responsibility for caring for another. One example is members who are largely confined to their homes and are unable to attend church regularly. Regular home visiting or calling, a biweekly newsletter, special attention at Christmas and Easter, ensure that these members remain connected to their church family. The letter and card-writers and shortbread deliverers are providing pastoral care—though they may be surprised to hear that. In other cases, from time to time, members find themselves in a particularly difficult situation that may call for someone with special skills or training to assist or augment the support provided by the Ministers. This is where the Pastoral Care Team comes in.
Woodroffe’s team is currently composed of the Ministers and ten lay members, all of whom have completed a ten-week (25 hour) training program to develop their listening skills and their ability to respond pastorally and confidentially when a need arises. These skills are maintained and enhanced through continuing education programs provided by the Pastoral Care Training Program and community agencies. The team meets monthly from September to June for mutual support, sharing and learning and, each fall, covenants with the congregation to care for one another.
Current team members are Judy Chaplin, Wes Dearham, Lynn Hampton, Mary-Lynne Harvey, Deb Lester, Margaret MacLeod, Jeanette Montgomery, John Patton, Cathy Seaborn and Dave Watson.
If you have or are aware of a pastoral care need or would like more information about the work of the Pastoral Care Team, please contact Rev. Kathryn Peate, John Patton (613-729-4139) or any member of the team. All such communication is kept strictly confidential.