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One of the great joys of serving St John’s is that we are always welcoming new members. Thanks be to God and to YOU for faithfully sharing your faith with friends. It shows that we’re being the beacon.

So, for the benefit of our new parishioners, and as a reminder to established folks, I thought I’d use my column this week to explain how we do pastoral care at St John’s. We have two kinds of care for people who are sick, bereaved, or in need of some other kind of support.

First, spiritual and emotional support. If you are sick or deaing with a heavy burden of any kind, Mark and I would love to know. We can visit or talk or, if you prefer, just pray privately for you. If you want to be placed on the parish prayer list we will do that. This would mean that your name will be mentioned in Sunday prayers and in the bulletin. You are completely free to opt out of that public piece, however.

In addition to Mark and me, we are also opening the spiritual and emotional aspect of pastoral care to trained and gifted lay folks. Please talk to me if you think God is giving you a special call to assist the clergy in this way. We also have a second prayer list of family and friends of St John’s members. This list appears in the bulletin, but is not included in the Sunday prayers. Please let Constance know if you have a friend or family member you’d like to be included in this prayer list.

Second, practical support. If life is overwhelming you and you do not have the time or motivation to provide food for yourself or your family, please let us know. We have a dedicated and wonderful lay-led ministry called ‘Pastoral Care’. The members of this team (over 25 people) will provide you (and your family, if appropriate) with some delicious and nutritious meals. The Pastoral Care team is excellently led by Virginia Bannister and Cam Hughes. You do not have to be sick to receive a meal from the Pastoral Care team. They sometimes bring a meal to parents of young children whose family schedule is impossibly hectic, or to other parishioners who are experiencing a loss of some kind and are not ready to deal with some of the practicalities of life, like cooking.

The goal of the Pastoral Care team is to provide short-term, emergency help. For people whose needs are long-term, we can help explore non-church ways of getting the help they need. For our pastoral care to work we need to know about people’s needs. Don’t be shy. The clergy and lay leaders of St John’s are here for you. Let us know when we can help. And please be assured that YOU will remain in control of what happens and who knows. Confidentiality and your wishes are paramount.