Dear People of St. James’,
This summer, Rev. Robby and I have been leading an EpiscoBasics class, an opportunity to focus in on those building blocks of our Christian identity, as participants in the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement. I love facilitating this sort of class because I am always reminded of the ideas or the jargon that I take for granted. Recently, someone asked me about what “pastoral care” means, and I thought that was a great question. Pastoral care refers to the way the church (not just the priest) shepherds (cares for, guides, tends and feeds) its flock.
Many people, when they think of pastoral care, have the image of a priest, or perhaps a few parishioners, at the bedside of an elderly person in the hospital. This is certainly a critical part of pastoral care. Bishop Quin, back in his day, was known for visiting the hospitals on his way into the diocesan office in order to visit all of the Episcopalians registered. And woe to the clergyman who had not gotten to the bedside of his own parishioner before Bishop Quin!
Nowadays, hospitals won’t notify clergy when their parishioners are in the hospital, so it is important to reach out to the church office. Your clergy and lay pastoral care givers at St. James’ want to be there for you and your loved ones in those critical moments. We will meet with you at the hospital at that ridiculous hour in the morning to pray with you before surgery. We want to ensure that you have the support network you need, so that you know that you are not alone. Be sure to reach out to the church office and let us know when you are having a surgery or if you or a loved one is in the hospital. Even if you call after hours, the emergency pastoral care line (512-677-6991) will connect you.
The work of pastoral care goes far beyond the occasional hospital visit. A while ago, the community of St. James’ recognized that it would be important to train lay leaders in caring for the homebound and for people undergoing various types of transitions (heading off to college, having a new baby, finding a new normal in the midst of chronic illness, etc). Pastoral care involves prayerful support and accompaniment for people of any age who are, for whatever reason, “in it”, in struggle. The promise of the pastoral community is that we will walk with you, through the shadow and in the light of joy.
Between our clergy, our small groups, the Community of Hope, Lay Eucharistic Visitors, the Meal Ministry, and our prayer ministries (the prayer list, the Monday night intercessory prayer group, and the online intercessory prayer group), the St. James’ community is working to become a community of care. In this new phase of our life together, we have identified a need to build a more diverse community of caregivers along various lines and a more robust referral system. If you feel called to this sort of ministry or have helpful connections within the community, be sure to get in touch with me.
May God continue to bless and guide as we build a community of care, which attends to the human dignity of every person.
Rev. Eileen
