There are many ways we care for one another at First Parish as we live out the benediction we say together every Sunday: Go out into the world in peace, have courage, hold onto what is good; return to no person evil for evil; strengthen the faint-hearted, support the weak, help the suffering; honor all beings.

The Ministers all offer counseling, hospital and home visits, phone calls, and are available to respond when called in.

The Pastoral Care Council Mission Statement reads: “The mission of the Pastoral Care Council is to create, oversee and evaluate the First Parish networks of pastoral care in order to extend and strengthen their reach.” They oversee the overall pastoral care program of the church, sometimes arranging special programs and events.

The ministers are assisted by the Pastoral Care Ministry, who, as they say in their Mission Statement, “companion parishioners who find themselves in need of spiritual and emotional support during times of difficulty. To accomplish our goal we work cooperatively with our ministers and each other to meet the pastoral needs of the congregation.” At the invitation of the ministers, they receive extensive training, companion parishioners in times of crisis, and help keep the ministers informed in our large congregation. They may be called upon in long-term illnesses, hospital visits, bereavement, surgical follow-up, support for elders and caregivers, and family crises.

Our Parish Visitors maintain one-on-one relationships with our less mobile parishioners. Some of these relationships span years. Parish Visitors, in the words of our benediction, “go out into the world in peace,” bringing the spirit of First Parish to those in nursing homes and assisted living centers, who live alone, or who through illness are homebound.

The Caring Connection provides material aid, comfort, or celebration in times of joy or crisis in people’s lives, such as illness, death, hospitalization, post-surgery, births and adoptions. Many have been touched by their meals, cards, phone calls, new baby welcome baskets, and occasional transportation.

It is a long-standing holiday tradition for volunteers to gather up the sanctuary flowers after holiday services for Holiday Flower Deliveries to elderly or homebound parishioners.

Books, periodicals and pamphlets in the Pastoral Care Lending Library (in the Church Parlor) address many of the life issues so many of us face. CareNotes, small pamphlets displayed in a rack in our main hallway, cover a wide range of changing topics for adults, youth and children, and disappear fast!

Parents of children with emotional difficulties meet for mutual support, facilitated by a church member experienced in therapy and group facilitation.

Special Programs, arranged by the Pastoral Care Council and Karen Foley, address needs as expressed by parishioners. In 2005-06 these include a course on aging (October), spiritual autobiography for elders (November-December), and a several-session evening course in January-February on setting priorities and goals for your life and planning for the end of life.