I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’ - John 13:34-35
What on Earth Do I Say?
When someone you care about is ill, grieving, lonely or in pain, it is sometimes hard to know what to do. You want to be helpful, but should you visit? Call? Bring food? Offer some wise words? Pray? What is truly helpful and comforting and what is not? These days we are faced with isolation and suffering in many forms. How can we be more compassionate and spiritually present to our friends and acquaintances?
It is the goal of this series to equip participants with some basic background information and solid tools that are helpful in offering a loving pastoral presence to those who are suffering or in pain. The series, which is open to members of religious congregations as well as the wider community, will provide a solid introduction for anyone who wants to feel more confident in reaching out to their fellow congregants, friends or loved ones in times of trouble. While the leader is grounded in the Christian tradition, the course is applicable to people of all or no faiths.
This course is open to the public, and is designed for those with no previous pastoral care experience, although it would also be helpful as a training or refresher for any congregation’s lay pastoral care teams. It will be led by the Rev. Elsa Worth, priest at St. James Keene, who has been in ordained ministry for over 25 years, including 4 years as the chaplain at Wentworth Douglass Hospital in Dover, NH, where she taught this course to members of Dover’s faith communities each year.
Info and Registration
Three Monday evening sessions (descriptions and dates below) will be held on Zoom.
Participants will be expected to attend all three sessions for the sake of continuity and trust within the group. Each session will include presentation and significant discussion time in small group sharing.
Each session will begin promptly at 6:30 and will adjourn when finished, no later than 8:30.
Session 1 – June 1 - The Problem of Suffering
Why do bad things happen? Where is God in the midst of tragedy? How do we notice people reacting to their own suffering or to the suffering of others? In this session we will engage in a discussion about the complexities of pain and loss in our lives and in the world, which is the very place where pastoral care is most needed.
Session 2- June 9- Kissing the Boo Boo - the Power of Presence
When we visit people who are suffering, love is more important than solutions or fixes. In this session we will explore compassion, courage and hospitality, the three building blocks of good pastoral care and learn to focus our attention where it most needs to be for a good pastoral visit.Session 3- June 16 - The Power of Listening
Session 3– June 16 - Practicing Pastoral Presence
They say that 90% of life is showing up. Providing an open, loving and listening presence is more powerful than anything we can say. In this session we will gain two important and practical skills for being present in a pastoral visit through learning concrete and helpful listening and prayer skills. We’ll also go over the outline of an effective pastoral visit from beginning to end.
