Pastoral care at St. Andrew's is provided in a variety of ways, as in all Christian churches.
In addition to regular intercessory prayer on behalf of others in the context of public worship, the people of the church express their care for one another by spontaneous deeds of compassion and generosity.
Regularly-planned pastoral care is carried out by the Session of the congregation through its Pastoral Care and Worship Committee. The Session also engages in quarterly visitation of the congregation prior to the Celebration of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and assists the minister when Communion is taken to shut-ins. The Pastoral Care Committee identifies those who might benefit from pastoral care, responds by visits, arranges or provides for transportation to services, sends cards, and, through the minister, delivers or mails a copy of the weekly bulletin and/or printed version of the sermon to those unable to attend the worship service.
More recently, one of the members of this church, Ruth Penny, has become an official pastoral visitor of the congregation. She visits hospitals, nursing homes, as well as making contact with members of the congregation in their homes. Her ministry is much appreciated.
The congregation has a prayer circle - i.e. a group who offer prayer for needs which are drawn to its attention. The minister or other person in the circle are contacted with a request for prayers, and this request is then communicated to the other members of the “circle”. Members of the prayer circle have covenanted to pray within fifteen minutes for a need which has been drawn to their attention, and to keep prayer requests confidential.
