Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
James 5:13-14
We want to be a church that cares for each other in breathtaking ways. In fact, how we care for each other is a testimony to the work of transformation that Jesus Christ is doing in us through his Holy Spirit.
I love when I go into a hospital room and find when I open the door that another parishioner has beat me to the room! That’s excellence in pastoral care! Caring for one another also requires excellence in communication. So, for the past two months, I have been working with our pastoral care team and wardens to establish a pastoral care protocol. My hope is that what you read below will bring total clarity to the point that you can help make sure its known as well!
In the Rev. David Booman, the healing ministry teams, the Stephens Ministry, Eucharistic Visitors, Life Group Leaders and counselors, we have an amazing pastoral care team. So, cut out our protocol below and stick it on your refrigerator. Finally, as your Rector please, please don’t assume we know what you are going through. Call us so we can walk with you in your peaks and in your valleys as together we live into the urging of James that we care for each other.
Blessings,
The Rev. Al Zadig, Jr.
How We Care For One Another
At St. Michael’s we believe that pastoral care is a ministry of the entire body of Christ involving clergy, counselors, prayer ministers, Stephen’s ministers, Eucharistic visitors, and life group leaders. Because we believe that we are the body of Christ, we also believe that when one part of the body suffers we all suffer together (1 Corinthians 12.25). Therefore flowing from these core convictions, our clergy team and life group leaders seek to remain in regular contact with those who are going through hard times. If you know of anyone who is hurting, we encourage you to first call them and then call a member of the clergy team. When it comes to the life challenges faced by our church family, we would rather hear too much than too little.
EMERGENCY
If there is an emergency, please call the church office’s main number 723-0603, 24 hours a day. If you call after regular work hours 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday, this number will give you the ability to directly connect you to the priest-on-call by dialing ‘9.’
VISITATIONS
If you need pastoral care; if you, a relative, or friend would like to be prayed for privately at home, in the hospital or during our Sunday worship services; if you would like to receive communion at home or at the hospital, please let us know. Our clergy team and life group leaders want to hear from you! While all of our clergy handle pastoral care, the Rev. David Booman is especially focused on serving this ministry.
PRAYER
If you desire personal prayer (usually with a team of two or more trained prayer ministers) you may make an appointment by calling the Rev. David Booman. Prayer requests can also be submitted to our team of prayer ministers by e-mailing heal@stmichaelschurch.net. Our prayer ministers adhere to the strictest confidentiality. All prayer requests require permission of the individual to be prayed for or that person’s family.
COUNSELING
If you desire counseling from a licensed psychologist, please contact one of our clergy and they will help you discern your next steps.
Our pastoral care team tries to respond to all e-mail and phone calls within 48 hours at the latest.
We try to follow up with each parishioner on the prayer list weekly.
May we all grow in grace to comfort others with the comfort we ourselves have received.
In Christ,
The Rev. David Booman
davidb@stmichaelschurch.net, 724-7589