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Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. -1 Peter 4:10-11
Hope everyone had a blessed Easter.
Many of you know me, and for those who don’t, I am a lifelong Presbyterian and currently serve as an Elder and leader of the Caring Team. Our team is made up of three distinct groups that help people in their times of need: Prayer, CanCare, and Stephen Ministers.
Though the Caring Team is made up of three teams, we sometimes overlap and frequently communicate with each other. For basic support the Prayer Team lead by Alice Ann Nilsen on Tuesdays will pray for your needs publicly or anonymously. Kay Royal leads the Atlanta chapter of CanCare whereby newly diagnosed cancer patients are matched nationwide with cancer survivors to help guide them on their journey and give them hope. Rebecca Eldridge and I lead Stephen Ministry, a nationwide interdenominational organization that is trained in helping people through difficult situations: loss of a job, illness, divorce, or bereavement. Stephen Ministers have a privacy code whereby the care receivers are held in strict confidence that even the other Stephen Ministers do not know the care receivers. A Stephen Minister can also be assigned from a different church if needed. Pastor Gray Norsworthy is the staff support for our team and brings many years of professional experience in congregational care.
All of us on the Caring team feel called to take an active role in the caring ministry. As members of the body of Christ we are all called according to our gifts to help others. If any of your friends and families have needs for care, please reach out to any of the leaders and we will help guide and insure the right people can help. We are also always looking for new volunteers that feel called to the Caring ministry and have regularly scheduled training classes for new associates. Your Stephen Ministers are now helping with the daily Reflections to increase awareness or caring needs and resources.
Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.
-Mother Theresa
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