The Pastoral Care Committee
The Pastoral Care Committee nurtures and coordinates the work of visitors/elders in their visiting with members of the congregation. In addition, the committee enables the congregation in welcoming new members, caring for people in transition and grief, and visiting the elderly and the sick.
Membership
• People interested in pastoral care with good listening skills;
• A representative cross-section of the congregation;
• Members of the Session, if applicable;
• The minister or staff associate;
• A representative of the UCW.
Duties
• Maintain the roll of the church, including children and adherents;
• Develop a visitation program for the congregation, assigning each family a visiting elder;
• Facilitate training workshops for visitors/elders
• Oversee the visiting of the sick;
• Maintain the register of baptisms, marriages, and burials
Expectation of Members
• Work in partnership with minister or staff associate;
• Cultivate sympathetic understanding, tact, and the ability to listen;
• Encourage people to help themselves;
• Facilitate communication within the congregation
From Organizational Guide for Board and Committee Members of Congregations in The United Church of Canada
C. Pastoral Care
1) Greeters
2) Welcoming visitors and newcomers
3) KIT groups
4) Visitations
a) Crisis
b) Hospital
c) Chronically ill at home
d) Baptisms
e) Weddings
f) Ongoing
5) Prayer Contact
6) Sunday Coffee
7) Contact Person
8) Funeral Luncheons
9) Special Activities
a) Tooney Tuesday
Pastoral Care
To maintain regular pastoral relations with the congregation, welcome newcomers and oversee church records (weddings, baptisms, funerals, membership transfers and confirmations) and membership roll.
The Pastoral Care committee will see that home, hospital and institutional visitations are done and that they provide appropriate expressions of concern and interest. They will also do an annual membership review, admission to and removal from the membership roll, congregational resource lists, marriage and baptismal follow-ups.
The following is the mandate and format of the Pastoral Care Committee:
I. Emergency Hospitality - provide meals and baking to families in crisis
2. Priority Visits - we advise the minister
3. Kit Program- telephone fan out to keep members aware of upcoming events
4. Social- plan progressive supper (May)
- plan luncheon/tea, to welcome newcomers (September)
5. Coffee following service- roster in place, however, new help is always welcome.
6. Hospital Visiting- co-ordinate i.e. Hospital visits by lay people (in the hospital area) when notified by other members of the congregation
Annual Meeting - plan food
Anniversary Sunday- plan food
From St. Andrew’s Policy and Procedures Manual
How to Pastoral Care - Line of Communication