My favorite post communion prayer is the one in which we ask to be “sent out into the word to do the work that we have been given to do”.

For many of us church is not just about our Sunday worship but about living in that beloved community our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry is so passionate about. We all have different gifts that we can use to enrich that community. For some that may be within the many ministries that are offered here, such as Social Justice and Outreach, Care for God’s Creation or Building and Grounds. For others it may be in our working or professional lives as teachers, nurses, counsellors and so on.

My own personal passion is Caring Ministries. Working within a group of lay members and clergy, we strive to be a comforting presence to those in need.

You may know this as Pastoral Care, a term derived from Christ’s Shepherding of his Flock.  Think of Psalm 23

…It involves protection, tending to need, encouragement, feeding the flock, making provision, shielding, refreshing, restoring, leading by example.

Pastoral Care is not just the sole responsibility of the clergy, although it is a central part of their calling. We are all called to care for one another and to love as Christ loved us.

In a nutshell, the ministry of caring is at the heart of the church’s life, it includes ministries of clergy and laity who respond to human need. **

Responding to human need.  That is what resonates with us and I would like to share an example.

During the pandemic we were all isolated but thankfully we developed technology such as zoom to remain connected to St. Martin’s. However, it soon became apparent that there were those for whom technology was a stumbling block and not an aid to remaining connected. St. Martin’s Messengers grew out of this gap with a group delivering printed sermons and announcements and more recently bulletins and flowers. What started as a brief socially distanced doorstep visit has developed into so much more. We soon realized that the Connection was what was important. One person told me “This is doing Church”.

Our lay Caring Ministry also includes Helping Hands, providing meals for those who are ill, bereaved or new parents; making and distributing prayer shawls; sharing home communion; phone calls; and just being present.

But Caring Ministries is Dreaming Big.  We have so much more to offer but to do so means more time devoted to coordinating our efforts. We have brainstormed many ideas:

a parish nurse or a coordinator?

lay or ordained?

volunteer or staff?

Our current budget has provision within it to employ a part time assistant rector and there is no doubt that a church of our size with all the programs we offer needs such a person if we are to continue providing what we currently do across all our ministries.

But we are dreaming bigger than that!

What if instead of a part time assistant rector we had a full-time assistant rector for whom part of their duties would be specifically pastoral care, working with our current staff and laity to enhance and enrich what we already have?

The needs of our parish are growing, and we need to be able to respond fully and compassionately. But we need to be prepared, Preparedness means having resources and it means planning. It will be the pledges we receive that will help us know if we can develop this dream into a plan.

So, your homework this week as you leave this place, “the work you are given to do” is to prayerfully consider our dream and if there is a way you can help us to realize it.

** Definition from the Dictionary of the Episcopal Church