Leadership & Business - Pastoral Care
Metropolitan Community Church of Our Redeemer
Pastoral Care
When to call for pastoral care: Pastoral care in crisis is of first priority to our ministry at MCCOOR. The Pastor and certain members of the Congregational Care Committee are never too busy to be available in crisis situations. We encourage you to contact the
church when any situation in your life becomes distressing. Early support from the pastor or a caring lay person can make a difference in how distressing situations get resolved. What kind of situations ought to prompt a call?
1. When anyone is near death or has just died. Please call or have a family member call the Pastor right away, even at home. For dying persons, it is often a time when they need and want to have words with a minister to make a confession, to receive reassurance of God's love, for the rites of anointing of the sick, and Holy Communion. Visitation is important support for family members, too, since stress increases as death nears.
2. When any hospitalization is imminent. Whether it's to have a baby or elective foot surgery, please let us know, or have a family member call if you are going into the hospital. Please don't hesitate to call if it's an emergency; the Pastor or someone from the church will meet you at the emergency room. When it's possible, we believe it's important to administer the rite of healing and Holy Communion to people before surgery.
3. When any relationship begins to feel troubled or threatened. Your pastor is a trained listener, and sometimes that's enough to defuse problems in relationships. If your marriage/partnership feels threatened the church urges you to consult your minister at the earliest possible time. If there is trouble with a child, a co-worker or boss, a relative, or even a neighbor, bringing that trouble to light can often resolve it before it gets worse. Any time that physical abuse happens in a relationship, outside help needs to be sought immediately. A clergy person is a good first contact in such situations.
4. When you suspect that alcohol or drugs are becoming a problem for you or for someone you love. There are a wide variety of steps that can be taken to assist a person who is abusing a substance. Most important is to recognize that alcohol and drug abuse both involve a physical change in the person whom is using them, and that treatment is needed. Mood-altering substances are very seductive: they hook your body and then begin to affect your thinking. There is no shame in asking for help.
5. Whenever "big" decisions present themselves. From needing to see a lawyer to making a job decision, your minister is a useful sounding board. Sometimes just talking it through with someone not immediately affected by the decision can provide a useful perspective.
6. When you find yourself "stuck" in a bureaucracy. Whether dealing with a nursing home about an aged parent, or getting the care you need for yourself in the hospital, or dealing with schools, courts, etc. your pastor has professional relationships with these institutions that permit him or her to function as an advocate for you. If you decide to write a "Living Will" for yourself specifying
under what conditions you wish medical care to be withheld or withdrawn, a clergy person is a useful witness and advocate.
7. Whenever you find yourself feeling spiritually distant from or abandoned by God, or at times when your values seem to be in conflict with the demands of the world. Your minister can help you make contact with God and clarify values.
8. As soon as you begin to get serious about getting married to someone. The church requires your minister to assess a couple's readiness for marriage/holy union before it can be solemnized. Speaking to him or her can assist in making sure you are prepared. Your family can have just as much need to talk during the preparation process as the couple.
9. At times of celebration. Believe it or not, good news can generate stress and confusion in one's life. And when good news happens, we would like to share in it too!
This invitation is open not just to the people who are "active" in the congregation but to everyone who has been associated with MCCOOR and to the public as well.
Church of Our Redeemer serving the Central Savannah River Area in South Carolina and Georgia
