In keeping with our respect for the worth of every individual, we have come to understand that all people in the congregation minister to one another in a wide variety of ways. The first members to take a more formal role as the Accotink Unitarian Universalist Church Pastoral Care Team were installed on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2006. The current members, as of June 2008, are Pam Cox, JoAnn Flanagan, Dick Foster, Kitty Riordan, Kathy Shinal, and Kate Wanderer. They assist the minister in meeting the pastoral care needs of the congregation and in offering spiritual support.
The lay members of the team have spent varying time in training, learning about the art of listening, the goals of pastoral care, and the meaning of a ministry of presence. They meet monthly for support, communication, and ongoing training so that they might grow in their ability to offer pastoral support to the congregation.
The minister’s role of providing the pastoral care at AUUC does not change. The role of those on the Pastoral Care Team is to fill in some of the gaps that the minister is not able to cover—visits for short hospitalizations, ongoing connections with those unable to get to church regularly, outreach following “Joys and Sorrows”, availability for general conversation and consultation, or additional support in times of crisis. One resource of the Team is a congregant offering of animal therapy visits with her small friendly dog, something they have both been trained in outside of the church.
You can contact the Pastoral Care Team (one member is “on call” at all times and checks for messages at least once each 24 hours) in either of two ways …
1. Through the PCT’s private e-mail address: pastoralcare@accotinkuuc.org .
or
2. Through the PCT’s confidential voice mailbox, accessed through the Church phone line, 703/503-4579, either directed by the Office Assistant or via the phone’s automated directory on its answering machine.
Contact the church office or the Pastoral Care Team when in need of ministerial support.
Affirming this important and valuable venture at AUUC, we thank those on the Team and those who have supported it. We hope you will take advantage of the opportunity to give and receive care from one another.