Pastoral care
Pastoral Care Team Staff ( 8 / 31 / 2016 ) Regina Bilski , Dane Bjork , Lynnell Bok , Joanna Gordon , Mike Looney , Josh Mateer , Claire Walker
Dane Bjork One of the great blessings this past year in Pastoral Care is the addition of new staff member , Dane Bjork . The department was in need of an assistant pastor of care who could assist in the various responsibilities of marriage counseling , premarital counseling , visitation and beyond . At the same time Dane was beginning the process of following the Lord ’ s call to step out in faith and make a career transition . He had the courage to obey God ’ s leading and begin the process of stepping away from his previous work even before he knew Calvary had an opening . Through the Lord ’ s great providence Dane became the Assistant Pastor of Care at Calvary in February and has been a huge blessing both to the pastoral care team and all those to whom he ministers .
hands of jesus The Hands of Jesus ministry provides volunteers to contribute time and resources to help fellow Calvary families and individuals in need , in an atmosphere of respect and mutual blessing . These services include handy man home projects , plumbing , electrical , yard work , cleaning , transportation , carpentry , moving and more . We are privileged
28 in our service to collaborate with numerous other ministries such as the Benevolence Committee . The verse that has been a guide since the beginning of the ministry is Proverbs 3:7 , “ Do not withhold good from those who deserve it , when it is your power to act .” This verse conveys the importance of obedience to God in responding to the needs of others whom God has put in our path .
This past year , 40 volunteers with various skills , have completed 155 projects to individuals and families of Calvary . Over the life of the ministry 443 projects have been completed . Each project represents a task completed , sometimes by one or two volunteers , and other times by as many as seven volunteers but more than that , each request and response involves a mutual blessing . This blessing is the opportunity of the volunteer to serve , share , uplift and also benefit from the gratitude , interaction , and faith of the recipient . Most of the recipients are either elderly , single mothers , physically or financially challenged , widowed or have experienced difficulty finding resources to help them . The faith expressed by so many of our recipients in the face of difficulty that often goes beyond the needed repair has been humbling and uplifting to our volunteers .
Responses from two of our recipients have shown the impact of the ministry . “ You fixed my yard , my house and my heart ”. Also , “ Thankyou to all those that are involved in the Hands of Jesus . They are a blessing to so many . Thank you for blessing me .” To God be the glory !
pastoral care staff This last year has been a trying one for many staff members in the pastoral care department . Many of them have each faced challenges in their family life outside of their area of ministry . Each member of the team has endured their respective trials and difficulties with grace , patience , and a commitment to serving . As a team we have drawn ourselves closer to God for strength and endurance along the way . As a team we have been able to rally around each other for support and prayer which has bonded us even closer as a pastoral care department . God continues to show Himself faithful as we have endured these personal assignments with faith while at the same time receiving grace from the Lord to care for the needs and circumstances of those we serve at Calvary .