On Sunday, April 20th, Blessed Connections, a ministry under the Membership and Evangelism Commission, was invited to make a five-minute presentation telling folks what we are about and why this ministry is important.

Well, how can you tell it “all” in five minutes? Impossible! So, each month, we will feature a particular facet of Blessed Connections to familiarize everyone with what we do.

This month, we are featuring the VISITATION TEAM. The folks who serve on this Team have received training in how to make a call that has a pastoral focus. They visit shut-ins, the hospitalized, those in nursing homes, the lonely, or anyone in special need.

This is a ministry of BEING with someone and not DOING something for someone (that is done by others). The Visitation Team supplements the work of the pastors, who also visit these same people but on a less frequent basis. The Team keeps the pastors informed as to concerns and needs of those visited.

It is important to have someone to listen, especially when a person lives alone. It is important that the pastoral person has no other agenda but to listen. The listening is a gift of presence and our presence allows God to heal what needs to be healed in the other.

Visits are made regularly, as the scheduling of both allow. The Team meets regularly, too, about every six to eight weeks, to encourage one another and to receive additional information and training.

Those who serve on the Visitation Team are doubly blessed: they are blessed first of all by God, who gives them the joy of helping to lift up another’s spirit, and secondly they are blessed by those they visited, who so appreciate this individual, personal attention.

 If you are interested in this ministry, please contact Liz Langan.