75
years
Ministry Highlight
PASTORAL CARE AWARDS
On October 21, 2021, volunteers from Pastoral Care ministries gathered in the Garden Cloister for brunch and the first Pastoral Care Awards By the Rev. Greg Pickens
F
rom the founding of our parish, there has always been ministry done by faithful people who are unencumbered by a collar. People who were called by God to use the eyes of Jesus and remedy the needs they came across. This is a great gift, and our volunteers are in the line of succession. As disciples, they know that ministry is for their spiritual health as much as it is for the wellbeing of our parish family. It is so important to keep our ministries fresh for the good and proper functioning of our spiritual lives as well as the working of our parish. Without lines of succession — without plans for handing our ministries
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THE ARCHANGEL | Spring 2022
off—without all of us being in the business of expanding our Pastoral Care volunteer corps — we lose something sacred. Our Pastoral Care mission statement is simple: Our ministries love, support, and bless our parish family and friends by caring for them through life’s joys and challenges. While God calls everyone to ministry, we are doing ministry in the name of our Rector, Vice Rector and Vestry. Because we are Episcopalians, our ministry is delegated to us by this parish leadership team. Occasionally we will be asked by this parish to complete extraordinary duties. And because of
who we are, our answer will always be, “yes.” We will always respond to the needs of our parish. And respond, we have. Just coming through 2020 was a chore in itself. Our whole world came apart and we felt it. Our families and friends felt it. But this faith community also went into action, because this is what we do as Saint Michael. Our visitations suffered because we didn’t know how contagious the virus was, but the calls, cards, and porch visits that so many did lifted this parish. In 2020, those touches added up to 9,475. It was over 1,000 more than 2019. Thank you for your amazing work.
