What is Pastoral Care Anyway?

By Sarah Booth

To be honest up until recently I had never really thought too much about pastoral care, what is was and how it related to me. Not to say that it wasn’t a part of my life, my mom has been involved with pastoral care, specifically at Hilltop and the hospital, for many years. But for me it was peripheral, just something else she did for the church, and somewhere I occasionally had to drive her to if I wanted to borrow the car. I definitely was not interested in visiting with old, sick people. To be honest I’m still not, but one bored evening I decided to join the first meeting of the Pastoral Care Planning Team and learned that there is a whole lot more to pastoral care than old, sick people. It’s about staying connected with our parish community and looking after one another in times of need. Not only did I learn about what pastoral care really is but I also found myself inspired to become involved in the planning stages of this mission.

As many of you know I have recently returned to Squamish and St. John’s and have been increasingly involving myself in life here at the church. Lately I have been questioning my beliefs in this world almost daily and I have found the welcoming support and sense of community in this parish a great comfort. From the surrogate grandma’s of the A.C.W, to the young new families I believe that everyone plays a role in spreading pastoral care within our Church community. What the Pastoral Care Planning Team aims to do now is to fulfill earlier “Get Fit, Keep Fit” promises by continuing to “… improve our ability as a parish to care for each other’s needs and to develop a more comprehensive system for parish visits,”  by working together to ”love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15.12)I have to say there are no lack of ideas and enthusiasm streaming from our small team of Mike Stuchbery, Wendy Booth, Hannah Dudley, Maryann Amor and myself. Our first challenge was to limit our goals so that we can achieve our mission one step at a time without overwhelming anyone. We have also set up a loose schedule delegating March and April for planning and organizing, May for ‘recruitment,’ with the intention of beginning our exciting training programs in June, and starting the program in September.

With your help we would like to bring to life in full force, the following mission statement,

“At St. John’s, pastoral care nourishes Christ’s community of love with prayer, mutual support and companionship.”

Many of you may still be afraid of what work may be involved in becoming a part of the Pastoral Care mission, but I urge you to take the next month or so to think about what pastoral care means to you and how much you could help someone by making even the smallest gesture, like sending a card, making a phone call or meeting someone for lunch. I have learned so much in just a few short weeks, just think of what we could do as a large group with a day or two of training sessions behind us and of course some really great organization. Think about what I’ve said and look for more info and updates coming soon in a leaflet near you.

If you have any questions please contact Wendy Booth, the Chair of the Pastoral Care Planning Team at 604-898-3985. And remember, everyone needs a little care and attention once in a while – even if they don’t know it!