Second Presbyterian Church

Connect Pastoral Care

2nd Pres

LR AR

Care and Compassion

Compassion Care Skill Hope

  • ladies serving food
  • pastoral care

Get Involved

Penpals and Phone Friends

Stay in touch with members of the church through this ministry of connection. Members are assigned to 1-5 penpals or phone friends, often our friends at home who cannot come to worship regularly. Monthly contact allows for meaningful connection. For more information, contact Sharon or Linda Van Hook.

When

Ongoing

Monday Pastoral Care

This weekly care triage team meets with a pastor to determine how to provide care to members and friends in need. We send cards, make calls, deliver meals and more to share the compassion of Christ. For information, contact Alisa.

When

Mondays 1:30 p.m. in Second Hall and on Zoom

Dementia Caregiver Support Group

Caring for a loved one with dementia? Join with other adults in various stages of care for our loved ones with dementia to support one another. Spouses, adult children and other family members gather to share wisdom, resources and encouragement.

When

The first Thursdays of the month at 1:00 p.m.
To join the mailing list or ask questions, contact Sharon.
For more information about Alzheimer’s, visit the Alzheimer’s Arkansas website.

Faith and Grief Support Group

This monthly support group strives to be a safe place to explore grief in the eyes of faith. Join with others in hearing a speaker’s grief journey, then responding in group according to your comfort level. When we meet in person, we offer a boxed lunch. To register, go to faithandgrief.org.

When

Third Tuesday of the month at Noon
March 15, Noon
April 19, Noon
May 17, Noon

Prayer Shawl Ministry

Do you knit or crochet? Add your skills and your prayers to those of this group to produce prayer shawls, baby blankets and other gifts.

When

Once a month
For information or to get onto the email list, contact Leah Shell.

Stephen Ministry

This one-to-one relationship brings the skilled, confidential, Christian care of trained laypersons with members and friends needing it. Stephen Ministers extend the compassionate reach of our pastoral care in loving, reliable ways. The prayers of the congregation accompany the faithful work of our Stephen Ministers. For more information about becoming a Stephen Minister, receiving a Stephen Minister or referring a care receiver, contact Alisa or see StephenMinistries.org. More information is here.

When

Ongoing
Stephen Ministers meet twice monthly on Monday nights for continuing education and peer supervision.

Meal Ministry

Our meal ministry team provides meals to members recovering from hospitalizations, illness and other circumstances. Food Coordinators arrange and deliver meals, while Meal Preparers are responsible for cooking/preparing the meal. To join the team, contact Sharon.

Wheels

This new ministry provides volunteer transportation to members having outpatient procedures who don’t otherwise have someone to transport them. Volunteers assist with discharge instructions and accompany the member to the procedure then back home. For information about this ministry, contact Alisa or George Keck.

Hospital Visitation

Assist the pastors in a ministry of visiting Second Pres members in local hospitals. To join the team and get scheduled, contact Sharon.

Friends at Home Communion

Join the pastors in bringing communion to the homes of those unable to join us Sunday mornings. Join the team by contacting Sharon. Communion visits are scheduled monthly on Sundays at 1:30 p.m.

Prayer Requests

Prayer Knots volunteers pray for the joys, cares, and concerns of church members, their families, and friends. Prayer requests can be made for specific people or situations, or can be made confidentially without mention of names or situations. Prayer concerns are passed on by e-mail. If you are interested in helping others through the ministry of prayer, please join the Prayer Knots team by contacting Sharon.

Our prayer teams are called Prayer Knots due to the Scottish heritage of the Presbyterian Church. Celtic knots date back to the 5th century and were used extensively by ancient monks in illuminated manuscripts such as the Book of Kells and Book of Durrows. The knot work is an artistic impression of the continuity of God’s love, the binding together of persons in Christ, the binding together of heaven and earth through prayer, and the belief that there is no beginning or ending of God.

Contact Sharon Howard

Stephen Ministry

Are you hurting, or do you know someone who is hurting?

There are times when each of us needs the care of another person. Stephen Ministry is a program that equips lay persons to provide confidential, Christian, one-to-one care to those who are experiencing all kinds of life needs and circumstances, both in our congregation, and in our community.

What is a Stephen Minister?

  • A child of God who walks beside a person who is hurting;
  • A congregation member with gifts for care giving, who was carefully selected to serve in this role;
  • A lay person who received 50 hours of training in providing emotional and spiritual care;
  • A caring, Christian friend who listens, cares, prays, supports, and encourages;
  • Someone who will “be there” for his or her care receiver, meeting faithfully and dependably on a regular basis for as long as there is a need;

What does a Stephen Minister do?

Stephen Ministers care for people facing tough times. They are ready to provide the emotional and spiritual care needed when we are faced with one of life’s crises or difficulties, such as:

  • Loss of a loved one
  • Loneliness or discouragement
  • Birth, adoption, miscarriage, or infertility
  • Accident or accident recovery
  • Chronic or terminal illness
  • Unemployment or job crisis
  • Divorce or separation
  • Spiritual crises
  • Aging
  • Hospitalization
  • Relocation

Upon completion of the training program, our Stephen Ministers work together with our pastors to reach more people with Christian care than the pastors can reach by themselves.

If you think you might need a Stephen Minister, please contact Alisa or any of our Stephen Leaders.

If you are interested in Stephen Ministry training, please contact Alisa or Kay Combs.

FAQ

  • No, our pastoral care system is there to provide support for cares and concerns of many sizes.

  • Yes, we maintain a “DO NOT ANNOUNCE” category for pastors and staff only. Pastors and staff can keep in prayer and/or provide support where needed.

  • Yes, to get involved, contact Alisa or Sharon. There are many ways you can plug into care.