Presbyterian Church

worship  …  fellowship  …  music  …  service

The mission of the Pastoral Care Committee is to provide Christ-centered ministry of care to the congregation, to the staff and to the community.  This ministry positively strives to impact the lives of all members and their families directly or indirectly by providing compassionate people connections.  Our ministry also offers a sustaining presence in times of joy and in times of crisis and transition.

 

Network of Caring

The Network of Caring (NOC) at Valley Presbyterian Church began in 1979 in an effort to keep in contact monthly with all members.  Our church membership is organized by neighborhoods with Coordinators responsible for 6 – 8 members.  Each Coordinator is assigned to a Facilitator for support.

A Leadership Team, led by Pastor Dunham, is made up of a combination of Facilitators and Coordinators and two Special Advisors.  The Team meets on the first Tuesday of most months.  Each Team member is expected to communicate with their assigned Facilitators at least once a month to encourage, determine problems, offer assistance, and listen to the various needs.

A list of the Homebound members of the church was developed this year to aid in making sure these members are given special priority by their respective Coordinators.

Grief Ministry

Grief Recovery Workshops

Four Grief Recovery Workshops were offered in 2007. The people attending these five-week classes are grateful to the church for providing these services.

Stephen Ministry

One of the courses taught in the 50 hours of training that a future Stephen Minister receives covers the “normal” pattern of Crises and Losses and how to minister to individuals who are hurting as a result. This topic includes the various gains and losses that we go through during our senior years. It is very difficult to face significant changes in life over a relatively short time. The presence of a Stephen Minister can be very helpful in such a situation.

Memorial Services

Our pastors share the responsibility of conducting memorial services. In addition to helping the spouse of the deceased through the initial stages of grief, many our church has to respond to family members who are distant geographically.

Prayer Ministry

The Prayer ministry team meets weekly. We pray for the pastoral staff, church leadership, those recently and currently hospitalized, as well as those with medical issues. Those in nursing homes and assisted living, and those who have had recent loss of loved ones are also prayed for.

Also, weekly, we pray for local issues, church related issues, national issues, and request and concerns for non-church members, as well as military persons.