PASTORAL CARE
Pastoral care is the heart of ministry. It is the care that creates the nest for us to rest in. Our religious communities need to be resilient if they are going to be strong, and pastoral care is the balm for the aching heart. Pastoral care tends to the wounds created in the world, so that we might eventually go out and face it again. It does not heal those wounds on its own--it is not there to fix or to save--but rather provides the company that eases one's own healing process. Human beings need community in order to survive, and one of the saving graces our religious communities provide is support for our members in cases of crisis, suffering, illness, and death.
A good Pastoral Associates program meets monthly, provides training, supports its members, and has clear procedures for providing pastoral care and communicating with the minster(s). While I was at Unity, the Senior Co-Ministers went on a 3-month sabbatical and left me in charge of the Pastoral Associates program for a 1000 person church. I led the program, oversaw the trainings, visited the sick, and facilitated the meetings. At Third Unitarian, I have implemented pieces of a Pastoral Associates program.
In my years in ministry, I have been a pastoral presence to people dealing with aging, suicide, addiction, disability, divorce, mental illness, infertility, sexual abuse, depression, and more. I sit with my people as they struggle and grieve, companioning them on their journey without expectation or need. In pastoral care, the only work is to be present.
Third Unitarian members at the 100th birthday party of a member.