| A family. That’s the Pebble Hill Church Interfaith Community. At the heart of every family is love, our love for Spirit (however we define it) and our love for each other. Love brings us together. Love makes the good times sweeter, and love helps us through the tough times.
In our community you’ll find that being a part of a family is a great feeling. There’s the comfort of knowing that you’re surrounded by people who love you, people who care for you. And that’s what PHC’s pastoral care ministries are all about. Our pastoral care ministries are designed to minister to your needs.
What is it that the phrase "pastoral care" encompasses? Pastoral care is the way in which we journey with each other in times of celebration, sadness, turmoil, transitions and along the quiet stretches. Together with our shared Celebration experience, it is an essential element to hold our community together.
The term pastoral care may bring with it some baggage left from prior associations, yet it may also bring with it the concept of a ‘soft place to land.’ The term "pastoral care" is not as common as some other Pebble language. Nevertheless, pastoral care and spiritual counseling are a special service that needs to be offered to our community.
It is indeed challenging to consider how to enter the lives of others at a time of crisis in a way that is caring and helpful. How do we journey with someone through the terminal illness or death of a loved one? How do we enter a marital crisis? What do we have to offer in situations of mental illness or substance abuse?
I have come to know that one essential ingredient is to recognize that we are not responsible for fixing the situation. Except for those few situations in which provisions of some material aid is needed, I am not likely to be able to resolve the situation, but rather to be with the person or family in the midst of it. Belief in the possibility of Spirit being at work in this moment can be tremendously liberating, if we allow ourselves to live into it. Ministers are called to be instruments for the work of love; we are called to be channels through which the Spirit can move. We are not responsible for determining what the outcome will be, for making the "right" thing happen. We are not called to be perfect; we are called to be present.
An act of true caring is never intrusive. It may be awkward. It may not be fully received by the other at the time. But it is never intrusive. True caring, i.e. love, is something which can only flow fully when we suspend judgment and leave judgment in the Eternal’s hands. Love is always an active concern for the growth and aliveness of all.
Pastoral care helps to develop a climate of trust and safety, which allows members to acknowledge the vulnerability they feel in times of need. A sense of community does not occur simply as a result of our working together on committees nor, indeed, simply as a result of worshipping together. There must also be opportunities for sharing in some spiritual depth.
Reverend Diane Bull offers pastoral care to Pebble Hill members on the first and third Tuesdays of the month in the Community Office at Pebble Hill. She is present from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. You are welcome to make an appointment or just drop in. Contact Diane here, or call 215-348-3428, ext. 307.
*No counseling or psychotherapy services that would require a license in the state of PA are offered.
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