Pastoral Care

Lay Pastoral Care

Many people at St. Stephen’s benefit from the pastoral care of their fellow parishioners. Homebound parishioners and others who need a special touch receive regular visits, baked goods, cards and notes, and seasonal remembrances from Lay Visitors, and homebound parishioners and parishioners who are in the hospital receive Communion from Eucharistic Visitors (also known as Lay Eucharistic Ministers). Other pastoral care among parishioners includes the Eldercare Support Group, where people meet monthly to listen, pray and tend to each other as they deal with the issues and needs of caring for beloved elders. The Prayer Shawl Ministry gathers weekly in prayer and fellowship to knit prayer shawls for others.

In order to make sure that St. Stephen’s provides the special touch that our parishioners need when they need it, our pastoral care ministries strive to work closely together to provide more effective pastoral care to more people on a more consistent basis. Our goal is to better coordinate and cover the needs of all of our members—those who give and those who receive pastoral care. As a result, Eucharistic Visitors, Lay Visitors, and some Eldercare Support Group members join forces on one of four Pastoral Care Teams who meet monthly. Gatherings include prayer, assignments, reporting, training and mutual care around the responsibilities team members encounter. In addition to visits and Communion, team members have delivered Easter bookmarks, Thanksgiving cards, and St. Stephen’s Advent calendars, Christmas cards made the 4th Grade Sunday School, and cookies made by pastoral care team members.

Pastoral care is a ministry to all of us. We hope that you will participate in any way that you feel called to do.

I am interested in participating in pastoral care ministry at St. Stephen's. (Descriptions are here.)

I would like to receive pastoral care from St. Stephen's

(visit, prayer list, home communion, etc.)

I want to know more about pastoral care groups.

Throughout the year, our clergy meet with many parishioners seeking counsel and guidance about the basics of everyday life, ranging from marriage issues to aging parents, child rearing and job direction, calling and spiritual angst, disease and disability, hopefulness and despair. Whenever we are gathered as “the Church,” the fullness of human potential and weakness emerges. We are thankful that we as a community can respond in the name of Christ.

Pastoral Care contact: The Rev. Louise Browner Blanchard (Weezie) | 288-2867, ext. 307 | email