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Congregational Care
Committee Meetings: M-309, 1st Wednesdays, 6:30 pm
The Congregational Care Committee seeks to provide consistent and regular care for members and friends of Westminster Presbyterian Church. This group of caring people under the leadership of Associate Pastor Carson Salyer meets the first Wednesday of each month to oversee the many activities that address the needs of church members. Some of these activities include a prayer team that considers prayer requests from the congregation, a hospital visitation team that assists the ministers in visiting members of the congregation who are hospitalized, Pastor's Aides who minister regularly to shut-in members, care note brochures that address members' needs, and care teams that visit our church members monthly that reside at Park Manor, Blakeford, and The Cumberland and a team that sends cards to church and family members in the military. Other activities that are provided on a need basis are Life After Loss, a Career Transition Network, and a Marriage Retreat.
Some of the ways that quality care within Westminster takes place include:
Prayer Request Team - This team receives prayer requests from various sources. Some requests come directly to committee members from individuals, from the pew prayer request forms, from the Westminster website, or relayed from someone in the pastoral staff. The person requesting the prayers is the contact for updates, not the prayer recipient. All requests are treated confidentially.
Pastor's Aides - This caring group of men and women visit church members who are in nursing homes or home bound. The group meets monthly with Carson Salyer to coordinate activities and needs and is a joint program with Presbyterian Women and the Congregational Care Committee.
Care Teams - Care Teams are formed on a need basis and meet short or long-term needs of our congregation or others in our community.
Independent/Assisted Living and Home Visits -There are care teams visiting members at Park Manor, The Cumberland, and Blakeford once a month to maintain a caring connection between these residents and Westminster.
Hospital Visitation Team - This team is comprised of volunteers who visit, one day each week, members of Westminster who are hospitalized. This is in addition to the visit by our pastors.
Life After Loss - This grief recovery program is led by members of the church who have experienced losses and are committed to helping others through the grief process. The group contacts members who have experienced a loss.
Other teams are formed around individuals or families during times of special need.
Care Notes - These informative brochures are displayed just inside the church's west entrance. A member of the Congregational Care Committee keeps a supply of these pamphlets in the display rack. Funds for this popular service are included in our budget.
Marriage Retreat - This retreat for married couples is intended to be a restful weekend of fun and reflection away from the distractions of everyday life. Discussions will include how our faith can not only inform, but also strengthen a marriage. It is intended to be an enjoyable learning and enrichment experience, not a counseling session. The next Marriage Retreat will be held in January 2013.
Knitting Ministry - This is a group of church members who knit or crochet baby hats for children being baptized and prayer shawls for those in need of prayer.
Career Transition Network - This volunteer organization is a long-standing, interfaith effort based at Brentwood United Methodist Church, and was formed to help those needing assistance and support in finding or upgrading employment or in returning to the work force. Westminster Presbyterian Church supports this financially, as do many other congregations. The Career Transition Support Group (CTSG) meets at Brentwood United Methodist Church on Mondays (except holidays) from 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm in Haney Hall, just inside the lobby entrance at the back of the church. CTSG is led by business professionals who have expertise in Nashville's job market and contemporary job techniques. There is no charge for the services of CTSG. For more information, contact Hal Hassell at hhassell@comcast.net.
12-Step Programs - The Congregational Care Committee sponsors both Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon groups, who hold weekly meetings in our facilities. We are open to having more of these groups meet.
Services of Witness to the Resurrection - People interested in pre-planning services of Witness to the Resurrection or securing placement in our memorial garden should contact Carson Salyer at 292-5526.
Wedding, funeral, and counseling services are available from all pastors. Please call the church office, 292-5526, for more information.
For more information about any of these services, or how you may become a part of our caring ministries, please contact Carson Salyer at csalyer@nashvillewpc.org, or Nancy Langdon at langdonn@fatherryan.org.