Hello,
Thanks to so many who have been in touch since Sunday, to send encouragement about our first online services. It has also been wonderful to see church family caring for each other in many ways over the past week, and we encourage you to keep thinking creatively about how to do this.
We are making plans for 3 levels of pastoral care:
- How we care for those with specific needs,
- How all of us care for each other, and
- How staff care for everyone.
This email is primarily about the first aspect.
How we care for those with specific needs
Thank you to those who have already offered to help others in need. Joy and David Brabham (jbrabham@bigpond.net.au / 0447 801 614) have agreed to coordinate this for our 9am congregation and Caleb Muggeridge (caleb.muggeridge@gmail.com / 0427 079 305) has agreed to do the same for 5pm. Their primary role will be receiving requests for help and offers of help, and connecting people.
Please get in touch with Joy and David or Caleb:
- If you can provide emergency meals or if you need emergency meals.
- If you can grocery shop for someone who is unable to get to the supermarket, or if you need someone to grocery shop for you.
- If you can make a phone call to check in with someone and pray, or if you would like a phone call.
- If you have spare devices which we can offer those in need, if you are able to help connect devices to the internet and demonstrate how to use them, or if you need help getting or using a device in order to connect with church online.
Note: in anticipation of our movements likely becoming more restricted in the coming weeks, we see the opportunity to provide technical help as a high priority.
We have also decided to reactivate the St Peter’s prayer chain. If you would like to be part of this, please send your name and preferred phone number to Lynne Bigg (lbigg@bigpond.net.au / 0400 738 125). Being part of a prayer chain commits you to 4 actions: receiving a phone call, making a phone call, praying, and keeping the content confidential. Please contact Lynne with any prayer requests for the chain, whether or not you are a part of it.
How all of us care for each other
In addition to caring for those with particular needs, we trust you will continue to look after each other and provide ways for others to connect with you. While a more formal system may be helpful in the future, we are thankful for an organic approach which already sees many calling, cooking, and checking in with each other.
Please consider filming a short clip of you or your household for us to include in a supercut one Sunday. This might involve you simply saying hi, sharing a short encouragement or showing us how your household is coping with changed conditions. Please film in landscape mode and email to laura@stpetersnightcliff.org 🙂
How staff care for everyone
If you need help connecting with others in our church family, please reach out to myself or Joshua. It is our intention to contact every household in the church family in the near future, via a phone call from Josh or myself. We look forward to talking with you!
That’s all for now. The website continues to be updated with the most recent information about services and additional ministries.