To submit a prayer request or contact a member of our Care Team, fill out this form or email care@fumcpdx.org.
What is Care?
Congregational care is foundational to discipleship and is instrumental in creating a thriving faith community. In all things, joyful and sorrowful, we turn to prayer and presence. There are 4 ways that prayer and presence are offered through congregational care. From the most public and brief to the most confidential and detailed, they include:
How Does Someone Request Care?
Requests for care come in many forms:
Sometimes we hear about a difficult situation and reach out to a person or family to ask if they would like to receive care. Sometimes we hear about a difficult situation and reach out to a person or family member to ask if they would like to receive care.
Because there are many levels to the care provided, it is important for those requesting care to explain what kind of support they are requesting, whether it is a prayer read in worship, a confidential conversation with a pastor, or something else entirely.
Who Provides Care?
The congregation, the Care Team, and our clergy Are all a part of creating a caring congregation.
Clergy
All clergy are called to provide pastoral care to the congregation they serve. It does not matter what the clergyperson’s specific job or day to day responsibilities are. Every pastor has a role to play in pastoral care.
Sometimes there is a director or clergyperson specifically assigned to the coordination of the care of the congregation. This individual leads the lay and clergy teams involved with congregational care. They often take on the lion’s share of situations that benefit from the pastor’s presence, such as a significant life change, a personal crisis or a death in the family.
While both Pastor Karyn and Pastor Ethan are regularly involved in pastoral care, Rev. Lowell Greathouse serves as the Pastor of Congregational Care, and Brenda Jacob is the Coordinator of Congregational Care. Together, they coordinate First Church’s care program. They work with all the clergy and the Care Team members to provide needed care assistance and a spirit of prayer within the congregation.
Congregational Care Ministers
A congregational care minister provides Christlike care to the people of the church. This often takes the shape of a phone call or visit to someone’s home.
What does a care minister do?
The Care Team works with Pastor Lowell and Brenda to review the immediate care needs of the congregation.
When prayer requests are submitted or if someone is ill or struggling with a difficult situation, these concerns come to the Care Team. Care ministers contact each person or family on the list to offer prayer and appropriate support.
Who can be a care minister?
A care minister is selected based on their gifts for this ministry. Not everyone is equipped or in a place in their life where caring ministry is right for them! The candidate and the pastor pray over this call and go through a discernment process, much like an interview or application. If all agree that this is the right ministry to participate in, the applicant then goes through a thorough training. During this time the care minister gets to know the work of the care team of other trained congregational care ministers.
You may have heard of or served as a Stephen Minister. This is a different kind of care. A Stephen Minister journeys with one person or family for an extended time, whereas a Congregational Care Minister steps in briefly when there is need for support and prayer. If you are interested in participating as a Congregational Care Minister contact Pastor Karyn or Pastor Lowell at email care@fumcpdx.org.
What is the Role of the First Church Congregation in Care?
Congregational care is ultimately done by the congregation. It happens every day through each of your relationships with other people in and out of the church. It takes place when you pray for others or ask for prayer. It is expressed in the hospitality you offer and the compassion you extend to others. Without you, congregational care would not take place.
Thank you for your role in this important ministry.