Pastoral Care

From time to time we all need support in life and pastoral ministries exist for such occasions. Pastors are available to individuals for support, whatever the need is. Beyond them, we can provide counselling, a listening service and visitation, as well as referral to other agencies if appropriate. We are also developing ministries for people with specific issues in life and would be glad to point individuals in their direction, if that would help.

The pastors are available to all members of the community for all matters of a private and confidential nature, whether they are felt to be great or small. They can be contacted either via the church office (941 2018), or their church numbers (Stephen: 07894 728885 and Andrew: 07894 728886).

Visiting Team

Members of the team visit people, usually on a one off basis, if they are ill, in hospital, have moved house, had good or bad news or had a baby! Often they will take flowers, too. Where this is more appropriate, they will send cards on behalf of the fellowship as a whole. You can contact the team either via Andrew Hardcastle or Sue Tomlinson who acts as secretary to the team.

Counselling

For those times in life where it would help to talk to someone outside the family or circle of friends, we have two trained counsellors working out of the Hub. Counselling can provide the time and space to work with problems, make sense of life and help with decision-making. Counselling cannot change what has happened, but it can help you to live with it more easily. To access the service, call the church number (941 2018) or fill in the request form available at all our sites.

Marriage Ministry.

Comprehensive and in-depth marriage preparation is available to all who are considering marriage. It deals with a wide spectrum of relational issues and provides a context to talk things through before the big day. To access this, contact Andrew Hardcastle, who also arranges practical issues to do with the wedding itself. For those who are married, we run an annual marriage course which acts as a kind of MOT for your marriage. Over 8 weekly sessions you have the opportunity to explore strengths and weaknesses and hopefully make adjustments that will enable your marriage to remain healthy and strong. To access this facility, again, contact Andrew Hardcastle.