Clear Steps for Caring for Homebound Congregation Members
Our staff scours the interwebs, and from time to time, we find an article or resource that is especially interesting. We like to share those with you, because if they helped us, they might help you! Our Coordinator, Patricia, found one such article about caring for homebound members of your congregation. There are some very specific special concerns that can make medically fragile homebound members a bit of a sticky situation to deal with as a minister.
The article describes the unique plight of those for whom it is not medically possible to attend church and what you can do to bring the love of God’s people to them. Particularly helpful are the numbered steps that you can take to help make your homebound members feel supported and included in the life of the church. We recommend particularly paying attention to suggestion #3. Many times, it is difficult for these families to be vocal about ways they would like their church family to help for a myriad of reasons.
At any rate, we found these to be some very sound beginning points on knowing what to do to help members who are homebound.
The following article, by Evana Sandusky, was first published on keyministry.org.
In a perfect world, all those in the faith could attend church every week as they desire. Life, however, presents all sorts of challenges making church attendance impossible or difficult for some families. There are some individuals who are homebound long-term due to a health condition and cannot attend church. Some families, like mine, have temporary homebound times which may occur after a child recovers from a surgery or serious illness, for example. Other families do not feel their child has a safe place in their church, because there is no one there equipped to handle their child’s needs or behaviors.
Whatever the reason, there are families who desire to attend church but cannot. Listening to sermons without attending church is relatively easy as many churches share them through podcasts, online videos, CDs, and social media. These outlets are great but hearing a message and feeling connected to a church are two different things. Interacting with people, having an opportunity for face-to-face prayer with someone, and receiving little words of encouragement are all missed by the family that is homebound. […]
Click here to continue reading this uniquely insightful article on keyministry.org.
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