One of the things that our church does well is the caring that people give to each other during times of stress and suffering.  It is not always visible, since it is often covered over by the gentle blanket of privacy and confidentiality.  But I have seen its traces in small and large ways.   

            It happens in our Spiritual Enrichment Groups, where people have a chance to form trusting connections through sharing and listening in small groups.  It happens in our Caring Connection, through rides to doctors and meals during illness, and the intangible comfort of a card or visit or phone call during a time of need.  (And through the much appreciated receptions provided after memorial services!)  It happens through our Pastoral Visitors, lay volunteers who are each matched with an elder, and visit once a month or more often, just to offer and experience a friendly connection.  It happens with our Summer Pastoral Volunteers, who respond to phone calls during the summer.  It happens in my office, when someone takes the risk to talk to me about some struggle they are facing in their life journey.  And it happens informally among friends and colleagues, in meetings, on retreats, over lunch and potlucks, almost anywhere in our A2U2 networks.  It is amazing and wonderful.

            Because of the size of our congregation, more of it happens between members rather than with the minister.  The experts say that once you have more than 150 or so members, it is really impossible for the minister to be the listening pastor to each member most of the time.  A2U2 is too big to be a “pastoral” sized church, which is focused on the minister.  We are a “program” sized church, which is focused on programs that connect people to each other and thrives because of its lay leadership.  Our caring happens because of the dedication of all of you.

            Perhaps the shadow side of this caring congregation is that we create an atmosphere which nurtures people’s hopes for support, but sometimes can disappoint those hopes, if a person doesn’t have the connections that might provide it.  It takes time to build those connections, but struggles come on their own timetable.  And so, we are always challenged to weave new strands of caring, and offer more opportunities for connection.

            This year, I would like to see us create a Pastoral Care Team, to expand our capacity for responding to each other in times of struggle.  A Pastoral Care Team would be a group of church members who have some training or experience in compassionate listening, and are able to offer time to other members who are experiencing stressful transitions, illness, or other challenges.  As I said, much of this already happens informally, but the members of a Pastoral Care Team would reach out to people who might otherwise fall through the cracks, or who need a little bit more time than other groups can offer, or who are too new to have formed strong connections.  A Pastoral Care Team could also explore new possibilities for living out our mission of caring.

            Pastoral care is not psychological analysis or therapy—it doesn’t try to solve problems or save anyone from the struggles of their own life journey.  Pastoral care is about compassionate and respectful listening.  And surprisingly, that can make all the difference in the world.  If you think you might have a gift for listening that you’d like to share, or if you’d like to learn how to be a better listener, send me an email through the a2u2.org website.  We will be conducting a training that we call LAMP 101, through our Leadership and Ministry Program, on November 15th – 16th (It’s Sat & Sun, 1:30-5:30—Sign up will be on the Adult Education bulletin board, or through churchdb.)  And thank you for all that you do for each other!