Do you know that the Deacons offer a visitation ministry? They have an active practice of visiting members of our church family who are ill or homebound (including people who are not members of the church, who may be a relative of a church member). Sometimes the visits are in person, sometimes by phone. For example, in a recent month 11 different people were visited, some several times that month. Some visitors began this ministry as Deacons but enjoyed it so much that they continued their ministry after their term as a Deacon was up. Terri writes “The thing is that you really get to know a lot of these people and you want to stay in touch with them, even if you are no longer a Deacon. You form lasting relationships.”
Sue Nelson, Heidi Haring, Christine Lazarus, Marianna Sherman, Terri Froehlich, and Jocelyn Ramage serve the Deacons as “visitors.”
A few stories:
Marianna writes: “Ken and I visited the Fischers at Seabury when they were alive and with us. A great couple. This one time we had another good visit and as we were ready to go they said you must stay for lunch with us. So they ordered a lunch for four in an adjoining alcove in the dining room and we feasted together. They were always so appreciative of the visits. Lunch was delicious in many ways.” Of the Fischers Terri writes: “Sue and I would visit the Fischers often, they were a great couple and had lots of old stories. We went to visit Evelyn in the hospital one time and as we arrived Wendy, their daughter, said ‘look Mom, it’s tiramisu!’ They had nicknamed us after the dessert, Terri and Sue (tiramisu) It was cute.”
Terri writes about a visit “that Sue and I made to one of our church members. After a visit where we had spent a couple of hours catching up with and talking, she asked us when we were leaving if she could set up another visit. We thought it was so sweet and it really does make a difference in people ‘s lives, especially ours.”
Jocelyn wrote of a long visit she spent with one of our church family where they read together from “Earth Gospel,” the study guide that we explored as a church this spring. She writes: “I read the opening sentences and scripture (John 1:1-5). We paused for meditation & prayer on this scripture and then shared the poem ‘Another Voice.’ We ended up with a prayer and the blessing based on Psalm 121:3-4, ‘The guardian of Israel never slumbers, never sleeps. May God, ever attentive, ever wakeful, keep you this night.’”
These visitations offer friendship and connection to people who very much need it, and help demonstrate the warm hearts of those who serve.