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PASTORAL CARE

THE PASTORAL CARE TEAM

Pastoral Care is CARING.

The Pastoral Care Team shares a vision of caring by supporting and nurturing the ESG community. We work with individuals by phone and in person, including home visits when appropriate. Referrals come from our Ministers, concerned friends, and family and by direct request. In addition, we collaborate with other groups within the ESG community, such as The Last Minutes Group, the New Perspectives Group, The ESG Angels and others. With their help, we develop and coordinate diverse initiatives that care for the well-being of those affiliated with ESG and the wider community. Our Pastoral Care Team is a core group of 12 dedicated, caring individuals, including our Ministers, who liberally share their time, skills, empathy and compassion to help others. 

 We Care

ESG CARES is the umbrella term for all activities focused on care and support for the individual. While this includes supporting our seniors in retirement homes or those confined to home, we also reach out to people of any age in need. Individuals or families may be experiencing health issues; someone may be in crisis. They may be transitioning or dealing with personal concerns that need a listening ear and support. We follow up with those referred and continue to stay in touch as long as appropriate. We most often connect with people by phone or email. 

Card Ministry
Our Card Ministry is an additional vehicle for connecting with individuals. Notes of encouragement, sympathy, or a friendly “Hello” and cards acknowledging a special birthday, anniversary, or event… communicate that our church community cares and that people are remembered and valued.
Funeral and Memorial Services
Our Ministers and our Funeral Coordinator are members of the PCT.
Please see the dedicated heading on the website for those service details.
Youth Outreach
Our Ministers keep in touch with ESG’s university and college students. He reaches out twice a year around exam time with a special gesture of support for them during a stressful time. This is an opportunity to reinforce that their church is interested in them and cares about their well-being.
Evensong Services
Our Ministers create and lead monthly Evensong services (Oct. through May), providing a quieter, gentler opportunity for worship in the early evening throughout the week. Music, prayer, candles, and meditation offer a healing and peaceful respite. The PCT provides support.
Christmas in a Minor Key
Christmas can be a poignant and tender time for many. This service offers a quiet and soothing worship alternative to anyone seeking an alternative to the traditional Christmas celebratory worship services. Our Ministers lead us, and the PCT supports us with their caring presence and home-prepared refreshments to extend the gathering time afterwards.
Retirement Home Tours
The Tour Coordinator organises a tour of the various Retirement Residences within the ESG catchment area twice a year. These events involve a tour of a facility, lunch in their dining room and an opportunity for Q&A with their staff.
Super Seniors Recognition
During the pandemic, the Seniors Luncheons were not possible. Instead, in conjunction with the PCT, the Last Minutes Group organised “goodie bags” to be delivered to all our seniors in retirement residences and to many who live alone. The bags contained home baking, a letter from our Ministers with an update on ESG news, and sometimes a hand-knitted heart (for Valentine’s), sheep (Christmas) or a mini pot of flowers (Easter). The gift bags were delivered twice yearly, keeping us closer to more people than the luncheons. They were very well received and proved to be a wonderful outreach project.
Congregational Outreach
Pre-pandemic, the PCT engaged in a bi-annual program to reach out to all members of the ESG community by email or letter to connect and learn of any concerns or needs they might have. The coordinator of this initiative works closely with the Ministers to follow up appropriately on any responses. During the pandemic, this program was replaced by the “Ambassadors Calling Program”, in which every congregation member was contacted by telephone to assure them of ESG’s concern for their well-being. It was a great collaboration with the many other support groups at ESG. We anticipate that our original program, or a new variation, will be reinstated post-pandemic.
Community Education
01.
Embracing Aging

Embracing Aging (Suspended during the pandemic. Planning to reinstate.)

In 2016, the PCT began an annual series of lectures entitled Embracing Aging, a series of presentations by outside speakers of expertise on various topics such as estate planning, end-of-life care, safety issues in the home, downsizing and transitioning from independent living to a care facility.  The series targeted seniors and their families and made it available to the broader community and other churches in our United Church cluster. 

02.
Community Services Fairs

Community Services Fairs (Suspended during the pandemic. Hoping to reinstate.)

Once a year, the PCT organises a fair to showcase a wide variety of social and health-related community services for the information of our ESG community. Non-profits and for-profit agencies and services presented booths to explain their services. 

03.
Grief Group

Grief Group

In the past, ESG has participated in a Grief Group course, which is offered annually to churches in the neighbourhood. Rev. Deborah Hart, a former Pastoral Care Minister at ESG, led it. We expect this service to continue as it has been within the cluster of North Toronto churches.