The First Church Visitation Ministry is currently being reorganized with a new approach to visitation. However, the strength of the ministry is in the church members who visit, send cards, make calls, knit prayer shawls, deliver flowers, and identify those who need home communion. The ministry performs the yeoman’s service of staying in touch with church members and friends who are bereaved, homebound, sick, recuperating from illness, injury, surgery, or just in need of a thoughtful remembrance or prayer. All of this is done under the guidance and with the help of our Parish Nurses.

Ministering to those who are suffering is not a small challenge, and it can often be a complex endeavor. The Visitation Ministry supports those in need by caring for their well-being—both spiritually and emotionally—and keeping them connected to the church. Spiritually, the ministry’s goal is to ensure that those who are suffering know of God’s love for them. Emotionally, the goal is to remind them of our strong church fellowship and willingness to care and provide help if needed.

Those receiving care are often thrust into loneliness with the frightening sense of being cut off from their community. Privacy and solitude are rarely their choice. Our ministry is designed to make sure that no one in need is forgotten! The parish nurses are regularly made aware of needs and if a visit is deemed appropriate, ministry members are prepared in two ways:

  1. Parish nurses informally instruct ministry members in visitation techniques at their monthly presentations entitled “Teachable Moments” and through  suggested readings and valuable discussions of other members’ experiences. Members are advised to prepare for prayer during a visit, and to bring copies of past sermons, church bulletins, devotionals, and when appropriate, flowers or books. Following the initial contact, the visit is often so successful that visits continue on a regular basis for months and even years.
  2. The most important element of a visit is being a good listener. We suggest the prayer offered by Rev. Kenneth Haugk, founder of Stephen Ministries, which asks for the Lord’s guidance before a visit with the words, “Jesus, please keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.”

May the Lord bless those members serving in the Visitation Ministry who give so willingly and generously of themselves.

by Deacon Tim Cordes