What is it that feeds me at Christ Church? My contentment is due to the family here that sustains my spiritual and emotional well-being. This family continues to grow and change as younger generations come and we adjust. We continue to adjust when a parishioner moves away, a sad goodbye. This family continues to worship together despite the difficulties faced by our parishioner friends aging, and we celebrate the lives of those who have died. Especially relevant right now, we adapt to the changing demographics of a vibrant but challenged city. The work of caring for each other is done by all of us, sustained and communal through change, and this has been true for as long as I’ve been here. The act of caring is not solely the work of one person.
A terrific part of pastoral care is joyful, as our card writing team sends snail mail greetings and prayers to a monthly rotation of parishioners, a positive reaching out. I’ve learned that many will reach out and ask for care, and that others expect the church to do the reaching out. I’ve learned that some of those wanting care do not want the attention in the prayers of the people, but do want us to pray for them. Some have said they don’t need attention at all; they are happy. One parishioner refuses offers to bring eucharist to them, and another wept in gratitude at the same offer. Many are willing to email the team at pastoralcare@christchurchtacoma.org to request we pray for them or their friends, while others approach me directly at church and coffee hour, privately, to alert our team to another parishioner’s needs. Eucharistic Visitors can bring you, our family, the eucharist which binds us together in Christ, and Mother Maria now offers a monthly spoken Eucharist at Franke Tobey Jones. (Second Wednesday of the month at 2:30 pm)
You are, of course, invited to talk to Mother Maria and Deacon Donna personally, as much of the pastoral care done by our clergy is not public, but unseen, responding to the needs of those who have faced crises, and comforting the families of our friends who have died recently, as they worried and now grieve.
What is clear is that we as a community, a family, do care deeply about each other even if we’re strongly opinionated, and the attention we give, no matter how privately or publicly it’s asked for and offered, is a cherished gift of love, deeply appreciated. Our card-writing team has suffered three counts of personal loss in past months themselves, yet the cards which the team still sends, even in grief, persist in love. It’s our caring for each other that is of the essence. Thank YOU for all you do, and please continue to let us know how this parish family can pray for you as well.
Ronn
