Congregational Care – Love, Serve, and Give Generously

Melinda Fox   -  

As a member of the Congregational Care Ministry, the Generosity 2023 theme “Love, Serve, Give Generously” is a true description of the 17 ministries encompassed by Congregational Care.

Look around you! We are all touched by some aspect of Congregational Care. The Reports to the Session name these groupings: Pastoral Care, Member-to-Member Care, Health Ministry, Prayer and Contemplative Ministry, Stephen Ministry and Support Groups.

White Memorial’s annual Generosity Campaign makes it possible to serve our congregation and community in the loving caring manner of Christ. I urge you to go to the White Memorial website under the Connect tab to see how we serve each other with prayer, time and love.

I would like to share a little about the Prayer and Contemplative Practices Ministry at White Memorial. Prayer and Contemplative Practices Ministry offers prayer-based support, education, and leadership for the congregation’s prayer life. In prayer, we present our true selves before God and pay attention to God’s voice and presence in our lives. We pray through words and silence, activism and service, music and art. Prayer is not one-sided, but an openness to two-way communication with God.

On Wednesday mornings, a group meets for an hour on Zoom to practice Lectio Divina and Centering Prayer. Led by staff members, Cate Church Norman and Anne Galliher, we read scripture, discuss and pray for each other. This is a blessing because without Zoom several of us could not attend due to work, health issues or long distance. God does work in amazing ways.

On November 17 from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Cate and Anne will lead us on an Advent Contemplative Retreat focusing on Holy Mystery: Embracing Emmanuel. All are welcome to come and prepare for the Advent Season.

If you have a Prayer Request, we have a network of people committed to bringing before God the gratitude and needs of our community and beyond. If you would like our team to pray for you, you may email Kathy Hart at White Memorial or go on the church website. Prayer can be requested anonymously.

We are blessed at White Memorial to care for each other in many ways. I hope each of us will follow Christ’s example to “Love, Serve, and Give Generously”.

Melinda Fox