Category: Pastoral Care

Prayer Connections

“More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of”
 Alfred, Lord Tennyson 

First+Met has an intercessory prayer group called the Prayer Connections Team. Members are committed to praying at home during their personal prayer times for requests from the congregation and staff. Private information is kept strictly confidential.

What type of prayer requests can I make?
Health problems, bereavement, relationship issues, work-related or student concerns, financial issues, etc. – whatever concerns you.

For whom can I request prayer?
For yourself, or those you care about – family, friends, neighbours, co-workers.

How can I make a request?

  1. By prayer request slips. During office hours you can fill out a request slip found on the church office counter and place it in the adjacent box marked “Prayer Requests” On Sundays, you can pick up a prayer request slip from the sanctuary pews or narthex, or the exterior entranceway to the chapel. Fill it out, fold it over and place it in the offering plate, from where it will be put into the prayer request box in the church office.
  2. By Email, to prayer@firstmetvictoria.com
  3. Through staff. If you are unable to get to church and do not have email, you can give your prayer request to a staff member, who will pass it on to the prayer team.

For how long will my request be prayed?
Prayer team members pray for each request for one month. You may renew your request after that time if you wish.

The prayer team exists to support you in prayer, so take the leap and make a request!!

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Pastoral Care

Pastoral Care seeks to model the caring heart of Christ in our relationships with the members and adherents of First Metropolitan as well as those in the larger community. If someone is ill or hurting, the Pastoral team members will seeks to respond in a manner that best meets the needs of the individual.

A caring group of folk, with the assistance of the ministerial staff and our Health & Wellness Ministry:

  • Keep shut-in members of the congregation in touch by delivering bulletins, copies of sermons and other information on a weekly basis. DVDs of services are now also available.
  • Regularly update the Church membership list so that members and adherents are tracked as they move from home to hospital or care facilities.
  • Visit members of the congregation who are in hospital, care facilities or confined to their homes, bringing a small gift of a plant or home baking during special seasonal visits. Birthdays of those who are 90 years and up are remembered with special cards and visits.
  • Prepare and take communion to those in hospital or homebound.
  • Provide support and comfort to the bereaved.
  • Link with the team providing memorial/funeral receptions.
  • Hold an annual Spring tea for homebound parishioners.
  • Hold a variety of programs on such topics as grief and loss and spiritual care during the year.
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Knitting Group

The Pastoral Team sponsors a knitting group that meets to make scarves, hats, socks, toques, mittens, gloves, dishcloths, children’s sweaters, booties, lap robes for here and abroad. We meet once a month  from 7:00 to 9:00 pm in Room 107 at First†Metropolitan United Church. Check the events calendar for the upcoming dates.

We have worked on afghans and lap robes for the refurbished rooms at the Hospice. We also donate items to Cridge Centre for the Family, the Sandy Merriman Shelter for Women, Our Place, The Compassionate Warehouse and other locations. We have wool, needles, patterns, fun and fellowship to share!

For more information about the group or projects, please call Joan Mickelson at (250) 744-3047.

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Family Counselling Program

Are you suffering from depression or anxiety? Are you a couple struggling to separate or restore your relationship, Do you have issues with alcohol and drug dependency, anger management? Do you need assistance with conflict resolution or mediating a conflict?

Karl Ireland has a Master’s degree in Counselling and is a Registered Clinical Counsellor. He is a retired member of the BC Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Karl and his wife Sheila moved here from Kamloops two years ago and joined our congregation.  They raised their family in Haida Gwaii and lived in Kamloops for 15 years, where Karl had a private practice in family therapy.  They have three children and five grandchildren. Karl likes to work with multi-generation families and extended families.

Cost: The fee is varied according to people’s ability to pay, from 0 to $100.00 per session. Clients are given a tax deductible receipt from First Met for the fees they pay. All who wish to come for counselling are welcome.

Contact: To arrange a session or for further information, you may contact the First Met office at 250-388-5188 or speak to Karl directly at 778-433-4022.

 

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Living Through Grief

Dates: Five Tuesdays, Jan 24, Feb 7, 21 and 28 and Mar 26, 2012
Times: 1:00 to 3:00 pm
Location: Doreene McLeod Rm, First Metropolitan United Church

We live in a society that does not value grief, nor does it allow any time for it. Yet grieving allows us to honour those we have loved, to recognize all that we gained through our relationship with them, and to acknowledge and heal those areas where there may have been wounding or unfinished business.

This support group, facilitated by Linda Mulhall,  provides participants with the opportunity to be with their grief with deep self-compassion and gradually, to move more vibrantly back into their lives. It brings a spiritual dimension to the process of grief. Through guided meditation, poetry, journaling andsmall group discussion, we will explore together how we grieve and the importance of grieving; the three stages of sorrow, where we store our grief; recogizing and releasing those areas in our bodies where we store grief; necessary losses and ways of coping; completing unfinished communication; speaking from the heart; caring for self; and finding the inner centre.

The approach is InterSpiritual; respectful of all backgrounds, drawing on a variety of spiritual practices from Buddhist, Sufi, and Christian traditions. No previous experience in meditation is necessary.

You are welcome to attend the first session and decide if you’d like to commit to the following four sessions. After the first session, the group will be closed. This program is open to everyone at no charge. All are welcome! Please register in advance, using the online registration form below.
For more info:

Living Through Grief

Start Date: January 24, 2012

End Date: March 6, 2012

We are sorry but registration for this event is now closed.

Please contact us if you would like to know if spaces are still available.

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Navigating Life’s Transitions

Dates: Five Wednesdays: March 28, April 11 and 25, May 9 and 23, 2012
Time: 7:00 to 9:00 pm
Location: First Metropolitan United Church, Doreene McLeod Rm.

This program is for those who have experienced a change in life circumstances: divorce, separation, job loss, empty-nesting, retirement, aging, a change in life style.

We are constantly living with change: change of career, change in life style, change in a relationship, divorce, job loss, or moving. “Change” is a shift in the situation. Transition, on the other hand, is the process of letting go of the way things used to be and then taking hold of what they have now become. In the time between “letting go” and “taking hold again is the chaotic time of transition, a time of sadness, loss, letting go of old roles and identities, learning to live with uncertainty, and eventually it is also a time of opening up to the spaciousness of life, and anticipating new beginnings. We will be working with teachings from various spiritual traditions, as well as the work of Carl Jung, to help move through this phase of uncertainty. Guided meditation and group sharing will be used to assist participants in this journey towards their new identity.

The group, facilitated by Linda Mulhall MEd,  will meet for five evenings, for two hours each evening, meeting every two weeks. To assist the group in establishing an open, safe environment, no new members will be added after the first session. After the first session, participants will be asked to commit to an additional four sessions. Sessions are free and open to all.  Everyone is welcome! Please register in advance using the online registration form below.

For more info:

 

 

 

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