Caring

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Do you need to reach a minister with a
confidential pastoral concern?

You can reach our minister on-call either by phone,
720-CHURCH9 (720-248-7249), or by email at cares@jeffersonunitarian.org.

Each Sunday, as part of our pastoral prayer, we speak the joys and sorrows of our congregation aloud.

If you have something you would like to be lifted up as a part of our service, please email it to cares@jeffersonunitarian.org with “Joys and Sorrows” in the subject line.”

The Pastoral Care Team at Jefferson Unitarian Church ministers to the congregation by nurturing our community’s ability to care for one another.

In partnership with our professional ministers, the lay leaders and volunteers of the Pastoral Care Team strive to cultivate the resilience needed to live full spiritual lives. Our care team consists of:

Pastoral Care Leadership Team

The Pastoral Care Leadership Team, in collaboration with ministerial staff, is responsible for pastoral care policies, procedures and programs. The Leadership Team “steers” by creating the vision, and executing strategies to accomplish program goals and objectives. Recent pastoral care workshops have included End of Life Documents, Hospice Care, and teen mental health and suicide prevention. The team works to bring in community resources to serve the pastoral care needs of the congregation as necessary. It also assists with pastoral worship services such as Blue Christmas.

Members of the Leadership Team meet monthly on the third Thursday of each month, from 4:30 pm to 6pm. If you think you may be interested in being on the team, email Rev. Jen Simon.

JUC Connectors and ehelpers

JUC’s ehelpers are our pool of JUC members willing to help provide rides, meals, and other practical pastoral care needs for fellow congregants experiencing an acute need. ehelpers receive email bulletins from connectors when a congregant has a need and can choose to respond if and when they have the capacity to help.

JUC’s connectors coordinate the ehelpers when a congregant requests help. They serve as the JUC point of contact for a church member or friend experiencing a need. Connectors take 1-month shifts and can coordinate ehelpers from the comfort of their own home.

If you have a need that our ehelpers and connectors may be able to assist with, please call 720-CHURCH9 (720-248-7249), or email cares@jeffersonunitarian.org.

If you think you may be interested in serving as an ehelper (which consists simply of being added to the email list of those willing to help with rides, meals, etc.) or as a connector (coordinating ehelpers), please email Rev. Jen Simon.

Spiritual Companions

Our Spiritual Companions are lay people trained in spirtual companioning and pastoral care who can visit congregants with less acute, ongoing spiritual needs, such as companionship and a listening ear. Members of the professional ministry team assign spiritual companions to congregants as needed. A spiritual companion is also available during and after each worship service, should they be needed.

Spiritual Companions undergo a robust training process in order to serve the needs of our congregants. If you would like to be visited by a Spiritual Companion, or you are interested in being trained as a Spiritual Companion, please email Rev. Jen Simon.

By Your Side Singers

Our Spiritual Companions are lay people trained in spirtual companioning and pastoral care who can visit congregants with less acute, ongoing spiritual needs, such as companionship and a listening ear. Members of the professional ministry team assign spiritual companions to congregants as needed. A spiritual companion is also available during and after each worship service, should they be needed.

The group practices once a month. If you’re interested in joining them, please email Rev. Jen Simon.

If you would like to join any aspect of our caring ministry, please contact Rev. Jen Simon.

For more information about how we care for each other, see our Pastoral Care Team handbook.