All of us have times in our lives when we experience pain and loss. Our church wishes to be supportive of its members during these hard times. That is why we support a Lay Ministry program. While the Lay Ministry program is not intended to replace the role of our church ministers or professional counselors, it is there to support both the ministers and the membership, and to help foster the building of a stronger community within the church.

Lay Ministers are a small group of church members who offer one-to-one caring and support to fellow church members in special need. They are trained lay persons, committed to understanding, spiritual awareness, compassion, open-mindedness and integrity. The time that they give to help others is entirely volunteered.

Our Lay Ministers are available to talk by phone and to meet with church members in their homes or in the hospital, if so desired. They offer support to church members in any of the following ways, depending on the wishes of the church member:

• being present with the member;
• offering an opportunity for talk;
• offering empathy and emotional support;
• offering prayer, silent or spoken;
• offering referral to other sources of help.

They are available to help church members through the following special needs:

• spiritual crisis;
• major life changes, such as loss of a family member, loss of employment, divorce or retirement;
• isolation because of age or mobility problems, or for other reasons;
• health problems, illness or hospitalization;
• other personal life changes.

If you are a church member who is in need of pastoral care, or if you're simply interested in finding out more about our Lay Ministry program, please contact the church office at 503-228-6389, ext. 0.

Please remember that any request for and all interaction with a Lay Minister is completely confidential.