Pastoral Care

Home > Parish Life > Pastoral Care

Pastoral Ministers

At Christ Church, the clergy are assisted and supported in the ministry of pastoral care by three parishioners, all of whom are highly qualified by virtue of their training in health care, theology, and pastoral care. Our lay Pastoral Ministers have been commissioned by the clergy and congregation, and they work closely with the clergy and other groups involved in pastoral care in Christ Church. In addition, they are able to access appropriate social and healing agencies within the wider community.

The lay members of our pastoral care team will visit in home, hospital, or any other setting. They are authorized to administer the reserved Sacrament of Holy Communion, and are thoroughly committed to the demands of confidentiality.

The Mission Statement of the Pastoral Team is “to serve God by enabling God’s caring work through Christ Church. This work is with those who need companionship, healing, or specialized pastoral care as they journey through life’s challenging times. They may be members of the Church, or our neighbours who ask for help.”

For more information, please do not hesitate to contact the Church Office.

Pastoral Care Group

The Pastoral Care Group maintains contact with parishioners who are confined to their home, to hospital, or to long term care facilities.

The care and concern of the Church is expressed through personal visits, phone calls, letters, and cards.

The group meets every couple of months, and welcomes new members who would enjoy sharing in this ministry. Please contact the Church Office, where someone will help you be in touch with us.

Prayer Chain

The Prayer Chain of Christ Church is a group of individuals who pray daily at home for those who have asked the prayers of the group. The group meets about three times a year, sometimes with a celebration of the Eucharist, and once a year with lunch. A strict code of confidentiality is in place.

To join in this ministry, or to ask the prayers of the Prayer Chain, please be in touch with the Coordinator, Helen Caldwell, via the Church Office.

Prayer Partners

Prayer Partners has been a very positive program at Christ Church, in which older and younger members are paired together in a relationship of mutual concern and prayer. At present, we have over 40 such partnerships.

Children, youth, and adults interested in getting to know another member of the parish are invited to register for the program. A coordinator then matches younger people with an appropriate older person in the parish. Young people must have the consent of their parents to participate in the program, and adult participants may be subject to screening.

Usually, an initial gathering is held in the fall, after which partnerships begin, and both members keep each other in their prayers. If partners wish, they may recognize such special occasions as birthdays, graduations, Christmas, Easter, and other events of significance in each other’s lives. Cards, notes, or phone calls are recommended.

We try to meet all together once or twice more each year, when we can participate in a short activity, and share refreshments. Operation Christmas Child, where we fill shoeboxes for needy children, has been one successful project of our Prayer Partners.

The initial commitment of Prayer Partners is for one year, but many partnerships continue after the first year, and a wonderful bond develops between the two partners.

Return to Parish Life