PASTORAL CARE

What is pastoral care?
Pastoral care is the care provided by the church, for the church family,

either by the Pastor, or by other people.
Pastoral care can include:
•    Friendship
•    Hospitality
•    Practical help
•    Emotional support
•    Being a good listener
•    Offering advice which is Biblical
•    Prayer

 

As a Christian community we believe that we should all be involved in caring for one another, and we encourage everyone to strive to meet the needs of others whenever they can. Over Baptist has a Pastoral Care Team whose role is to co-ordinate the pastoral care support provided by the Church. This includes taking requests, discussing how support can be provided and allocating people to appropriate tasks.

 

Who are the team members?
The Pastoral Care Team includes:

•      Pastor David Smith (leader and counseling support)
•      Kate Day (co-ordinator and administration)
•      Kate Foster (assistant coordinator)
•      Pat Howard (assistant coordinator)

 

How does it work in practice?
If anyone would like help or support, they can discuss this with a member of the Pastoral Care Team. Together they will agree what kind of support will be most useful and how this can be provided.
A Pastoral Care Team Co-ordinator will then approach the person, or people, whom they think will be best able to offer the support requested and, if they are willing and able, agree a plan of action.

 

What kind of support will be offered?
Generally, we can offer to:
•    visit people in hospital or at home;
•    provide practical, emotional or spiritual support in a time of crisis or ongoing difficulty.

If there is something you need that doesn't seem to fall into these categories - please ask. The team are willing to consider all reasonable requests.  The Pastoral Care Team and those who provide support will meet regularly for prayer and encouragement.