Pastoral Care & Prayer Requests

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace”

1 Peter 4:10

The vision and mission for Pastoral Care is to celebrate life’s joys and bear one another’s burdens and sorrows in fulfillment of God’s command to love one another as God loves us. We seek to connect and provide a network of care in times of need. Parishioners are invited to share in the experiences by participating in one or more of these ministries:

St. David’s Prayer Companions

Contacts

 Endre Witthoeft
 Rev. Elizabeth Colton
Prayer Companions is a prayer ministry in which fellow parishioners pray, whole-heartedly, for our St. David’s family members who are seeking God’s grace, help, and blessings in all of life’s circumstances. St. David’s Prayer Companions are all inspired by God’s Living Word and by our mission statement, to know God in Jesus Christ and to make God known to others.

Requests will be forwarded immediately to the prayer companions who are committed to pray daily for these needs for the duration of the request. All requests are held in strict confidence. If you request a prayer for one other than yourself, please be certain that he or she desires the request be made and agrees to have it posted and shared. If you prefer to make any request known only to a coordinator, please call at the listed number.

Request a Prayer

Please click the button below to send a prayer request. If you have any questions or concerns, please call the clergy or coordinators.

REQUEST PRAYER

Caring Ministries

Through all the Pastoral Care ministries we strive to support one another in difficult times and recognize and celebrate the joyful times. To get involved with a Pastoral Care ministry, or to receive more information, please fill out the form below.

Care Cards, Birthday Cards & Baptismal Gifts

 Sandy Brown
 Wendy Higgins
 Dale Power

Cards are sent to parishioners needing encouragement or marking a celebration. A Baptism Book is sent to our parish newborns and their parents.

Career Transition Ministry

 Dale Power
Mike Mayer

This ministry gives advice on matters of finance and resume building from a Christian perspective.

Care to Caregivers

Nan Lansinger

This group of volunteers reaches out to support those who regularly care for a loved one in need, such as an ailing spouse or parent.

Caring Meals

Kate Fahey
Liza Whelan

Meals are delivered to parishioners identified by our clergy as needing support and encouragement.

Driving Angels

Sandy Arnold

Volunteers drive parishioners to church services or programs, to doctor or other medical appointments.

Eucharistic Visitors

 Sandy Arnold

Volunteers visit with and share the sacrament of Holy Eucharist with parishioners who cannot be present with us at Sunday worship.

Flower Ministry

 Jan Blynn
Kim Glynn

Volunteers arrange and/or deliver Sunday and holiday flowers to home-bound parishioners or those needing encouragement or celebrating.

#JourneyingForward

 Domenica Rafferty
 2nd & 4th Tuesday
} 7:00pm

#JourneyingForward is a support group for young adults (18-40 years old) who are grieving the death of a loved one.
JOIN ON ZOOM

Needleworks Guild

Theresa Baldwin

This Ministry provides hand knit caps for newborn babies and oncology patients, prayer shawls, prayer squares, and heart pairs for COVID-19 patients and their families.

Online Bereavement Group

Domenica Rafferty
Thursdays
} 7:00pm

This weekly Zoom meeting provides a safe space for you to share sorrows, fears and hope in your journey through grief.

JOIN ON ZOOM

Prayer Companions

 The Rev. Elizabeth W. Colton

This is a ministry in which fellow parishioners pray for our St. David’s family and friends who are seeking God’s grace, help, and blessings in all of life’s circumstances. All prayer requests are held in confidence.

Seeking Hope

 John Lander

We are a group of parents whose children share the experience of drug and alcohol addiction. We cannot erase the struggle, but we can improve ourselves to live a better tomorrow. We gather together to provide support, encouragement, education, comfort, advice, and faith. We seek hope in every situation.

Sermon Ministry

 Heather Sill

Sermons are available to read or listen to on the website. Contact the office to have a sermon mailed to you.

SERMONS

St. David’s Friends

 Rob White

A group dedicated to being with those who are in need of companionship.

Walking the Mourner’s Path

 Betsy Aikens
 $50 (scholarships available)

We believe grieving is not lack of faith, but a natural part of living. Walking the Mourner’s Path is a Christ-centered, non-denominational grief support program. Our purpose is to help those who are grieving transform their grief into joyful living. The course consists of 90-minute classes and runs for eight consecutive weeks. Each session has two facilitators plus a member of the clergy present.

Walking the Mourner’s Path is open to the community—you do not need to be a member of St. David’s to register. Please fill out the online form below to register. When your registration is received you will be given instructions to pay by check, or you can choose to pay with a credit card by calling the church office at 610-688-7947.

  • Payment Information

    When your registration is received you will be given instructions to pay by check, or you can choose to pay with a credit card by calling the church office at 610.688.7947.

Stephen Ministry

Stephen Ministry is a ministry in which trained and supervised lay persons provide one-to-one Christian care to individuals facing life challenges.

For more information about the Stephen Ministry, please contact Clayton Platt by email.

Who is involved?

Stephen Leaders are the ones who oversee and direct our Stephen Ministry. They recruit, select, train, organize and supervise our Stephen Ministers and identify people in need of care and match them with a Stephen Minister.

Stephen Ministers are the caregivers. They have been through 50 hours of training in Christian caregiving, including general topics such as listening, feelings, boundaries, assertiveness and using Christian resources in caregiving. In addition, their training covers specialized topics such as ministering to the divorced, hospitalized, bereaved and aging.

Care receivers are the recipients of Stephen Ministers’ care. They are people from our church or outside of our parish who are experiencing divorce, grief, loss of job, loneliness, hospitalization, terminal illness, or any of an endless number of other life difficulties. Stephen Ministers usually meet with their care receivers once a week for about an hour for as long as the care receiver will benefit from the relationship.

Are Stephen Ministers counselors?

Stephen Ministers are not counselors. They are trained lay caregivers. Their role is to listen and care, not to give advice or counsel. Stephen Ministers are also trained to recognize when a care receiver’s needs exceed what they can provide. When that happens they work with care receivers to help them receive the level of care they really need.

Is my relationship with a Stephen Minister confidential?

Trust is essential to a caring relationship, and Stephen Ministers are people you can trust. Confidentiality is one of the most important principles of Stephen Ministry, and what a care receiver tells his or her Stephen Minister is kept in the strictest confidence.

“For the past year and a half, I have met with my Stephen Ministry Caregiver every week. She has been a lifeline during a period of my life when I have needed it the most. She is also available to me by phone, text and email if I am feeling vulnerable. She has met me when times were almost unbearable, when I thought I just could not do what needed to be done. She listens when I need someone to listen to me; I do not seek advice, I just need someone to listen even if I am being irrational. She accepts that I feel the way I feel and she comforts me, and in the most caring way, shows me there is hope.”
Stephen Ministry Care Receiver

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