The visitation team also offers to arrange for such things as scheduling a pastor to deliver communion, or to send the friend at home copies of sermons.  The visitation team may just simply be a smiling face who drops by to show our friends at home that we are still thinking about them even though they are unable to come to church.  In some cases, the visitation team may offer assistance in providing transportation to church or to a doctor's office. 

Most Friends at Home visitation team members visit one or two church members, but some are able to visit more.  There are many, many, Second Presbyterian Friends at Home who would like to have a regular visitor.  If you would like to be part of this ministry, or would like more information, please contact Karen Akin in the church office, or Julie Font, Friends at Home visitation coordinator. 

Communion to Friends at Home - On the first Sunday of each month our church family celebrates the Lord's Supper.  Several of our members are unable to attend the church service for either temporary or on-going health reasons.  For those friends at home wishing to receive communion this is made possible through this ministry.  The pastor is assisted by a previous or active deacon or elder in serving communion in their home.  This is a meaningful experience for all.  Many times there are stories, laughs, tears, and even songs that break out among this intimate communion time.  Several of those who have served communion this past year, such as Bev Lambert, Rita Wooley, Don Borchert, Jon Davies, John Youngblood and other have commented on how their time really enriched them and they felt as much a blessing as the one receiving communion felt.  Another special time that occurs annually is through our Confirmation program.  Each confirmand and their mentor has the opportunity to participate in one of these visits.  This is truly an intergenerational time of sharing.  If this is an area that you feel led to serve, please indicate your interest to the church office or to Marge Anna Luttrell who co-ordinates these visits each month.  The usual time commitment is Sunday afternoon from 1:30 until 3:00.

Pastoral Support Team- providing for the spiritual and emotional support of church members at times of special need by recruiting and training volunteers and working with the Pastors and Presbyterian Women and others to provide supportive care at times of hospitalization, convalescence, death, and other family crises.

Pastoral Care Ladies at work!

The group fondly referred to as the Monday Afternoon Pastoral Care Ladies is a faithful, hardworking group of over 25 women.

These women meet every Monday afternoon with Associate Pastor, Karen Akin, and offer prayers for those who are in the hospital, those who are having babies, those who are undergoing treatment, those who are serving in the military, those who are grieving, etc. etc.  They send cards, cook meals, make phone calls, and keep folks in prayer.  One of the services they provide for folks who are dealing with the death of a loved one is in preparing food for a meal for the family or in hosting a reception at the church following a memorial service. 

Pictured above are Mary Ann Dillaha, Joanie McCaskill, and Joanne Riddick hosting at one of the receptions in Second Hall.  As you can see, they serve Christ and his church cheerfully and joyfully, along with great kindness and care for family members and friends.  We are very fortunate to have these devoted servants who truly serve the church with their gifts.         

CD Ministry Team- making CD's of the Sunday morning worship services, and other services as requested, making copies for distribution, recruiting and training volunteers to perform these services, and maintaining the recording equipment.

HIV POSITIVE CARE TEAM -  The team provides support, care, and encouragement to our Care Partner. 
 
Hospital Visitation Team - enlisting and training volunteers to visit hospitalized members.
 
Prayer Knots - providing intercessory prayer by volunteers on a confidential basis at any time when requested by the church, its member(s), or others, recruiting members to be apart of the Prayer Knots, sharing information on how to improve individual and corporate intercessory prayer.
 
Stephen Ministry – providing trained Christian care giving by lay ministers in the congregation for individuals in times of crisis and transition.

Transportation Ministry - Ensuring that members are not prevented from attending and participating in worship because they do not have transportation, and overseeing van drivers and others who have been recruited to carry out these services. 

Adult Support Groups - Designed to fill in the gaps when a special need arises and is not covered under one of the other groups in Pastoral Care.  One example is the Grief Support group that met for six sessions over the holidays.  Other "special needs" include serious illness, job loss, divorce or any other life changing event.  An experienced facilitator is found to lead the group.  The room is readied and hospitality is dispensed.

Support Group for Alzheimer's Family Members/Caregivers - This group exists  to serve the needs of those who have a loved one with dementia.  Trained church volunteers can provide short term respite so a caregiver can get away for a few hours.  Also, a caregiver support group is held the first Thursday of each month from 1:00-2:00 PM in the library.  This is an open group and new members are welcome.

Accessibility Committee - checking for our strengths and weaknesses in regard to including persons with disabilities, and charged with the responsibility of devising a plan for addressing these special needs for specific individuals as well as identified groups of people.

Welcoming Newborns Team - contacting new and expectant parents with information on programs and ministries available to them during this special time of their life, visiting the family soon after birth or adoption with gifts to welcome the child(ren), providing meal(s) if needed through the help of the Pastoral Support Group, and sending out a publication every other month concerning emotional, physical, and spiritual growth of newborns up to age two.
 
Spiritual Retreats and Prayer Vigils – planning and overseeing events for the members of the congregation to develop a better understanding of the Holy Spirit’s work in their lives, both as individuals and as a corporate body.
 
Cancer Support/Card Ministry Team – The Cancer Support/Card Ministry team of our Pastoral Care Ministry is here to love and support church members and families of members living with cancer by sending cards of encouragement to remind them of God's constant, watchful care over them.  This very personal form of communication - in the midst of the dread darkness of dealing with cancer - lets these members know that God's love is near them...in the sun on their on their windowsills, in the bright faces of flowers, and in the warm thoughts and prayers of their friends at Second Presbyterian Church. 

Despite its name, Pastoral Care is not about tending sheep in the meadow, it's about caring for each other and building a supportive community within the church where we can all find comfort in times of need and share our joy when our cups are full.

It is our prayer that the cards we send will be a taste of heaven to those who receive them.  We invite you to volunteer for this meaningful work - to become one of His lamps.  We believe as Christians we are to love God and to love our neighbor (Mark 12:20-31), and we are here to share in that ministry, on a regular basis, with our members and friends dealing with cancer.



The Pastoral Care Ministry seeks to provide and promote spiritual, emotional, and tangible physical support to individuals on a one-to-one basis throughout their life in the church.

If you would like to use your gifts for ministry with others in our church and community, especially in the areas of Fellowship and Pastoral Care, please contact Karen Akin, Associate Pastor for Congregation Nurture, who serves as staff resource for Pastoral Care. We invite, encourage and empower through training and prayer, lay involvement in these important ministries of the church Over 100 members of our congregation are involved in the above pastoral care ministries.

If you would like to visit with one of our ministers, please call the church office,  227-0000 and ask to speak to a minister. You may also email our ministers directly:

stevehancock@secondpreslr.org

camillepowell@secondpreslr.org

karenakin@secondpreslr.org

If you or a family member are in the hospital or expect to go in to the hospital, please call and give this information to the church office.

If you are in need of receiving help from one of our Pastoral Care groups or teams, please contact Karen Akin, Associate Pastor for Congregation Nurture, who serves as staff resource for Pastoral Care.

We receive prayer requests through phone or email contact. Prayer request cards are also found in the pews in the sanctuary and can be filled out at any time. We encourage worshippers to fill out the cards on Sunday mornings and place their requests in the offering plate. All prayer requests are shared with our ministers and our Prayer Knots team – a group of volunteers who provide intercessory prayer on a confidential basis.



Our Accessibility Committee of the Pastoral Care ministry is charged with the responsibility of meeting with individuals and their families (if needed) to devise a plan for addressing special needs for involvement in worship, education, fellowship, and service. This committee is also charged with the responsibility to identify our strengths and weaknesses in regard to including persons with disabilities.

If you would like to meet with our Accessibility Committee, please contact staff resource, Karen Akin.