PASTORAL CARE AT ALL SAINTS EPISCOPAL CHURCH
BAPTISMAL PREPARATION
Please notify the church if you are expecting the birth of a child and when that birth occurs. Clergy are available to offer a short liturgy with the family, Thanksgiving for the Birth of a Child, either at the hospital or at home. We also include thanksgivings for births in our Sunday worship service prayers. The family will also be contacted by the All Saints’ Guild of the Christ Child; they offer a variety of ministries to mothers, families, and newborns.
The Sacrament of Holy Baptism at All Saints is scheduled to take place within the Holy Eucharist at regular Sunday services. Particular Sundays throughout the year are especially appropriate for Baptisms; please call the church office for upcoming Baptism dates.
Once you have communicated your interest in scheduling a Baptism you will be mailed a booklet about Baptism for parents and godparents to read. This will be discussed when parents, godparents, and clergy meet for a Baptism Preparation Class on the Saturday prior to the Baptism date, at 10:00 AM. You will also receive a Baptism Information Blank to be completed and returned to the church office.
Parents and godparents who will be presenting a child for Holy Baptism are expected to be regular participants in church. They themselves should have already been Baptized, and preferably, Confirmed. While it is expected that parents will be members, or immediate family of members, of All Saints, godparents may be members of other Christian churches. Please talk to our clergy if you have any further questions about Baptism.
***
HEALING MINISTRY AT ALL SAINTS
Thursday Mornings at 10:30 a.m.
At All Saints Church we believe in the ability of God in Christ to heal problematic issues within our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit whether they are spiritual, emotional or physical in nature. In his proclamation of the coming of the kingdom of God, Jesus gave evidence of that proclamation through the healing of people’s lives bringing wholeness and peace to where there was once illness and disease. In fact, two-thirds of Jesus’ earthly ministry involved healing of some sort. Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly”. The healing ministry we engage in is an expression of our desire for the abundant life of Jesus.
All Saints is the host of a weekly healing service of the Order of St. Luke, an ecumenical, international order which intentionally promotes education and worship focused on the healing power of Christ. Our chapter of this order was begun by one-time priest associate, Rufus Womble, (now departed) who served as the North American Director of the O.S.L. Our group worships on Thursday mornings at 10:30 in the chapel at which time we have intentional prayers for healing and the laying on of hands. Our monthly chapter meeting is a brown bag lunch which usually takes place on the second Thursday of the month following worship. Though it is a very ecumenical group representing many churches in the greater Richmond area, a good number of All Saints members also take part in the healing ministry as well. The healing ministry is a fundamental aspect of the life of the church. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to speak to the rector who serves as chaplain to the group.
THE CARE GIVERS’ PRAYER
O God, your Son Jesus Christ said that we minister to him when we clothe the naked, give food to the hungry and drink to the thirsty, and visit the sick and imprisoned: Go with all of us who, following the command of your Christ, visit and provide for your people in his Name. Amen.
Pastoral Care involves many ways of caring for people so that they are nurtured and supported within the community of faith. It is a ministry that offers comfort, love, and hope to those who are ill, homebound, hurting, grieving, or unable to attend the worship and activities of the parish.
Pastoral Care at All Saints is envisioned as an umbrella sheltering people from the storms of life. Each rib of the umbrella represents a different type of ministry. These ministries are coordinated by the clergy with the help of the TLC Group. TLC stands both for “Tender Loving Care” and for “Trained Lay Caregivers.” The pastoral ministry of the clergy is supplemented by these laypeople who are trained in the practical and theological issues of care giving.
VISITATION
Regular visits are scheduled by both clergy and TLC Group members to people in homes, nursing homes, and hospitals. Prayer, friendship, talking, and listening are the ways we help people feel connected to God and to the parish.
SUNDAY BULLETIN PRAYER LIST
All Saints maintains a list of parishioners and their immediate family members in need of prayer. We print this weekly in our Sunday bulletin for use in our worship service prayers and for parishioners to take home with them to have a reminder of people in need for their daily prayers. Help us keep this list current, both by adding people and taking them off when the need has passed, by calling the church office at 288-7811.
PRAYER CHAIN
The Prayer Chain is a group of people committed to praying for other people each day on their own time, confidentially. They pray for parishioners who do not want to be prayed for publicly through our Sunday Bulletin Prayer List and others who are not parishioners or their immediate family members. Contact the Prayer Chain coordinator, Roberta Morton, to find out more about this ministry or to add people to their prayer list..
TRANSPORTATION
TLC Group volunteers provide rides for those who cannot drive themselves to church services and activities, appointments, shopping, or for other errands.
NOTE CARDS
TLC Group volunteers send note cards to mark birthdays, anniversaries, and other occasions, and to generally keep in contact with those who cannot come to church.
BULLETINS
TLC Group volunteers mail copies of the Sunday bulletins weekly, in advance, to those who cannot attend church services.
FOOD
TLC Group volunteers prepare and deliver hot meals to those who are ill, have recently returned home from the hospital, are grieving, or are for other reasons unable to prepare food for themselves or their family.
OUT COMMUNIONS
Clergy and Lay Eucharistic Ministers take Holy Communion to parishioners who, because of health or mobility issues, are unable to attend church services.
FLOWERS
Ushers deliver flowers from the altar each Sunday to selected parishioners who cannot attend church services.
HOW TO REQUEST PASTORAL HELP OR GET INVOLVED
To request any of these ministries for yourself or another parishioner please call Bill Queen, Associate Rector, at 288-7811, so the clergy will be aware first of anyone who is in special need.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Call Bill Queen, Associate Rector, at 288-7811, if you would like to volunteer and be trained for any of these ministries, or just want to have more information about the TLC Group. Our TLC Group members find all of these ministries personally rewarding. They feel blessed, themselves, by their ministry and contact with other parishioners.
The TLC Group normally meets on the first Monday of each month in the library, from 1:30 – 2:30 pm. The group gathers for prayer, sharing, mutual support, continued learning, and planning the care giving ministries of All Saints. Come any time to learn more, firsthand, about who we are and what we do. Check the church calendar first in the Dove and Sunday bulletins as there are some months the date is changed due to scheduling conflicts.
***
MARRIAGE PREPARATION
Marriages are performed at All Saints typically only for church members and their immediate family. If you are planning a wedding, please make your inquiries with the clergy prior to setting any dates. One year to nine months in advance is recommended. You will be provided with an information packet which details policies, costs, and a time line for all aspects of marriage preparation.
For more information about any of All Saints’ Pastoral Care programs, please contact the Rev. Bill Queen at bqueen@allsaintsrichmond.org