Pastoral care involves offering an open, welcoming, encouraging and non-judgemental listening space for people. It is offered in a way that seeks to honour different life experiences and that values wisdom in many forms. Pastoral care is available for anyone irrespective of their religious beliefs.
Those members of our ministry team that offer pastoral care try to reflect the ministry of Jesus which demonstrates unconditional love, compassion and acceptance, and which seeks to bring hope particularly in difficult circumstances.
Pastoral care can take many forms including:
- Visiting parishioners who are elderly, disabled, housebound, ill, recovering from illness or bereavement at home, in residential day-care centres or in hospital.
- Offering listening support to those experiencing significant changes in their lives.
- Visiting those who are new to the church.
- Offering listening, conversation, support or prayer to those being visited.
- Making and maintaining telephone contact with identified individuals.
- Taking Home Communion to church members who have requested communion and who are unable to come to church services.
- Taking Services of the Word or Holy Communion with reserved sacrament at Care Homes.
- Offering prayer support to members of the congregation during one service every month.
All members of the Pastoral Team are DBS checked and some have undergone training provided by Church of England Birmingham, such as the Pastoral Care and Community Skills course. Others come with a background in the caring professions.
If you would like to find out more about the work of the Pastoral Team, if you think you could help the team, or you have a request for pastoral support, please contact the Church Office in the first instance on 0121 472 7215 (ext.2)