 It takes a parish to nurture a Christian and the pastoral care network at St. Martin’s seeks to strengthen the body of the parish community enabling individuals to reach their full potential as servants of Christ in the world.
To accomplish this task the Pastoral Care Network is in the process of being established to coordinate the activities of the many individual ministries of St. Martin's and provide a common point for communication, thus building a vital, creative and sustainable pastoral care system.
The Pastoral Care Network consists of seven areas of ministry:
- Eucharistic Visitors – Lay persons, licensed by the bishop to administer the consecrated elements of the Eucharist and to go from a Sunday Eucharist, share the sacrament with members of the congregation who were unable to be present at the celebration because of illness or infirmity.
- Lay and Prayer Study Groups - Small groups, open to all, gather together because of a common interest.
- ParishCare - Trained parish members serve their church community with a ministry of listening and loving presence, providing non-directive spiritual support during life’s changes and challenges.
- Senior Adult Ministries - Parishioners volunteer their time, knowledge, and experience to provide fellowship and assistance to those of their church community who are impacted in some way by the aging process.
- Young Family Focus - The church community seeks to connect their young families by providing venues of healthy relaxation and fellowship and opportunities for peer support.
- Pastoral Care Events Coordinator - This person (or team) knows the requirements, procedures and processes necessary to create and bring to successful fruition special events sponsored by the pastoral care structure of the parish. Their role is to advise and guide those who initiate, promote and implement the actual event.
Each individual ministry at St. Martin's will define their mission and will then be assigned to one of these seven areas of related ministry. The ministry will then designate a representative whose responsibility will be to stay in communication with each associated ministry and represent the ministry as a liaison on the Pastoral Care Program Development Board.
When firmly in place (more frequently initially) this board will meet in August, January and May. August and January meetings are for the purpose sharing plans and coordinating efforts. The May meeting is to present written annual reports, discuss successes and shortcomings of the various ministries during the previous year and make appropriate recommendations for the coming year.
The facilitator for the meetings will be the ParishCare Liaison or the coordinator of Senior Adult Ministries. The facilitator is responsible for scheduling the meeting, notifying other liaisons, and keeping the meeting focused. These meetings will also include at least one clergy person and the vestry member assigned to Pastoral Care.
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