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:
- 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 six week series on Accepting Loss, assisting those who have experienced loss, say goodbye to the past and welcome tomorrow.
Twelve volunteer lay persons have been trained as spiritual companions to help elders reflect on their life experience and record the spiritual lessons at First†Metropolitan United Church. The program is designed to reduce the isolation of elderly, frail members of First†Met through building a mutual spiritual friendship, and to ensure the wisdom of our elders is passed on through an Honour Our Stories project.
First†Met hopes to grow as a community in which all members are valued and involved regardless of their age or physical circumstances. The volunteer companions are “hearts with ears and a pen” and meet with their elders every two or three weeks to record their stories and build a relationship.
For more information or to participate as an elder or companion, please contact Terry Dance-Bennink at (250) 220-6834 or by email at tmdance@shaw.ca.
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 and upcoming dates are Sep 8, Oct 13, Nov 10 and Dec 8, 2009, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm in Room 107 at First†Metropolitan United Church.
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.
Minister of Pastoral Visitation and Outreach
Gordon Cann was born in Louisbourg, NS and graduated from Mount Allison University with a B.A. Before going on to Pine Hill Divinity Hall, Halifax, he served as a lay preacher for a year at Grace Methodist Church, Bermuda. He has a M. Th. from Atlantic School of Theology.
Ordained by the Maritime Conference, he was settled in the Newtown-Waterford Pastoral Charge (a five point charge near Sussex, NB). He was an assistant minister at Danforth United Church (now Eastminister), Toronto and Westboro United Church, Ottawa. Then, he was minister at St. Andrew’s Norwood, Saint-Laurent (Montreal), Knox, Lower Sackville (Halifax), McDougall and Ebenezer in Edmonton. He retired in 1999 and moved to Sidney in 2003.
He is married to Ann (Morrison) and they have four children and nine grandchildren.
Between January 2007 and March 2008, he was interim Pastoral Care Minister at First†Metropolitan. He is known for his gentle sense of humour, his compassion and his dedication to the needs of our homebound members. He and Ann have been members of First†Met for five years.
Prayer Connections
“Remember one another in prayer”
The First†Met prayer team has been praying faithfully at home for prayer requests from the congregation and staff. Each request is prayed for one month and is kept private.
How can I make a request?
1. By prayer request slips.
- Weekdays: you can fill out a request slip (church office counter) and place it inthe adjacent “Prayer Requests” box.
- Sundays: prayer request slips are in the Sanctuary pews and the Chapel exterior entranceway. Fill one out and put it in the offering plate, from where it will be transferred to the prayer box.
2. By Email
(confidential)
3. Through staff: If you can’t get to get to church and don’t have Email, give your prayer request to a staff member, who will pass it on to the prayer team.
For whom can I request prayer?
For yourself, or those you care about – family, friends, neighbours, co-workers
What type of requests can I make?
Health problems, bereavement, relationship issues, work-related or student concerns,financial issues, etc. – whatever concerns you.
Consider making a request – we exist to support you in prayer!
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