The Pastoral Care Committee
What We Do
The Pastoral Care Committee has about twelve volunteers who visit church people in times of need, and offer communion to those who are unable to attend the communion service at the church.
Some of us visit people after a bereavement, offering personal support and some booklets on grieving that many have found helpful.
Others make regular visits to people in the care institutions in Camrose, and to some who are shut in at home.
Four times a year, following one of the communion services at the church, we take communion to any who wish it and were not able to be at the service. Some of the consecrated bread and juice from the church service is taken by a team of communion servers to be shared with people at home or in a care facility. Our servers are trained by the ministers and provided with a prayer litany to accompany the serving of communion.
Where We Go
We visit with people at St. Mary’s Hospital, Rosealta Lodge, Stoney Creek Lodge, Rosehaven, Deer Meadows, Bethany Meadows, Faith House, Louise Jensen Centre, and Viewpoint. We also visit with people in their own homes.
You Can Help
We depend on family members and friends to tell us when someone has moved to one of the care facilities, or moved to a different one.
When someone is in hospital, they must let us know if they want a minister or church volunteer to visit them. There are two ways to let us know:
• ask the hospital admitting staff
to list your name as “United Church”.
• call the church office at (780) 672-2176 and request a visit.
Prayer Shawls
The Pastoral Care Committee coordinates our church’s prayer shawl ministry. Volunteer knitters and crocheters make shawls which are blessed during a church service and given to people who might appreciate a tangible reminder of the congregation’s love and prayers.
Helpful Reading
We maintain a selection of leaflets offering counsel and encouragement for people living with illness, facing personal crisis, or suffering bereavement. These are available free from a rack in the church (in the main floor hallway beyond the office door). We also have a small library of books on a bookshelf in the Parlour, and these are available on loan.
To Get In Touch
You can make requests for visits, volunteer to help in this work, or get more information by calling the church office, (780) 672-2176.