This Week from Mitch

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Not all ministries look the same. Not all definitions of ministry fit into a box. Recently someone asked me about pastoral care and the church. "Well," I responded, "Pastoral care can look like many different things."

In the Episcopal Church, we believe that through Baptism we all take our place in the "priesthood of all believers," and that through our baptism we each are called to live as ministers of the Gospel. In fact, during our baptism, we make promises to participate in the teaching, fellowship, the breaking of the bread, and the prayers of the church.

Pastoral care can look like teaching a Bible study or leading a reading group at the church, events that offer connection, friendship, and mental and spiritual growth. Pastoral care can look like inviting someone to dinner when you know that they are lonely. It can look like delivering a meal and talking on the porch, like going for a walk with a friend you haven't seen, or joining a Foyer Group as an act of intentional community. Pastoral care looks like putting yourself "out there" in an increasingly isolated world. Breaking bread with one another in a world of loneliness is in and of itself an act of faith and caring.

One of the most direct actions we can offer as pastoral care is prayer. When we pray out of love and offer God's blessing on another it isn't possible to go wrong. When prayer comes from the heart it is a prayer well said. Just putting ourselves out there is enough.

As St. Martin's nears 1000 members and 500 families, pastoral care will increasingly take a village. Our collective role through lay eucharistic visiting, Sunshine Ministry note writing, Community of Hope Lay Chaplains, Foyer Groups, Bible studies, book groups, art groups, EFM classes, and so much more is both needed and appreciated. As a church St. Martin's is at its healthiest when we are all willing to care for the world and each other. You do not need to be a professional clergyperson to do this work, you simply need to be a part of God's priesthood, a priesthood to which, as His children, we all belong.

In Christ,

Mitch