At Labor Day Camp, I had the wonderful experience of finding out about a situation only after it had already been handled. Church folks had stepped up to care for one another. People made connections and invited others to help based on the relationships they had built—knowing that one person had been a nurse before retirement, or that someone else had life experience that could be helpful in the moment. By the time I heard about it, people had been cared for, needs had been met, and everything was okay.
As a pastor, there is something pretty wonderful about discovering that nobody needed me! The church had simply been the church. So much of life and ministry is really about showing up. In fact, one of our membership vows in the United Methodist Church is presence. And it is about far more than worship attendance! Presence is how we come to know and remember one another’s stories. It is how we notice when someone is missing or when something doesn't seem quite right. It is sitting beside someone who is grieving, visiting someone who can't easily leave home, taking a class or joining a Bible study, volunteering at the food bank or a local school, or simply being there when another person needs us.
One of the things we are working on for this coming year is creating a Care Team—a group of volunteers who will work with Mary and me to help offer that gift of presence throughout our congregation. We have homebound members who would love a visit. We have people who don't always feel well enough to make it to church. We have people going through difficult seasons. And, like every community, we have people who are lonely and could simply use someone to sit with them, listen to them, and remind them that they are not alone.
You don't have to be a pastor to offer that kind of care. You don't need a theology degree or all the right words. Sometimes ministry begins with something much simpler, presence. You just need to show up.
And sometimes, when enough of us do that, we get a glimpse of what it really means to be the body of Christ. If you are interested in volunteering with the Care Team please let Mary or I know.
Blessings,
Pastor Eilidh
