Rejoicing in Our Present: Caring Ministry Teams
One of the many responsibilities of the Deacon Core Ministry is caring for the members of the BBC congregation. This week we wanted to share about some of the Caring Ministry teams that work together to serve the members of our congregation in practical (but often behind the scenes) ways.
Caring Ministry Team
The congregational Caring Ministry Team, led by Deb Quinones, is a group of committed Christians at BBC whose mission is to provide care and support to those in our congregation. Their meetings are held twice each month to update the status of those on their care list and to find others who may need their help. They provide calls, cards, and visits to those who are sick, home-bound, in the hospital, or have had surgery.
They communicate with approximately 25 people each week. They have a core group of seven people who meet every other week to help with these visits/calls. They are very grateful for the many other people in our congregation who help with visits and calls.
Each December, this team also organizes carolers to visit the homes of some of the people on their care list to sing Christmas carols and share some Christmas joy.
Caring Nurses
The Caring Nurses ministry is led by Lisa Freeman. Their mission integrates faith and nursing, encouraging Brewster Baptist Church parishioners to achieve health, healing, and wholeness of body, mind and spirit. Some of the ways they achieve this mission is through holding a monthly blood pressure clinic, organizing and volunteering at American Red Cross Blood Drives, offering vaccine clinics, checking and maintaining the AED machines and first aid kits, and hosting the First Aid station for the Holiday Fair.
Over the years, they have also hosted various classes on several health and wellness issues.
Cooks Who Care
The Cooks Who Care team, led by Linda Viprino, shops, cooks and delivers meals to members of our congregation who are in need of home-cooked meals – all made with love – following a hospital stay, an illness, accident, or other situation where folks were in need of their help. Being able to feed someone in their time of need is a basic, yet profound, thing in life, and they feel that it has been a privilege to help God’s people in this way.
Cards of Caring
Birthday and anniversary cards are sent to many in our congregation by Ellen Wilcock and the members of the Cards of Caring Team. They also send cards of encouragement, get well cards, and cards of praise for prayers answered, not just to BBC members, but to others in our community and beyond, in response to the concerns of our congregation utilizing the prayer chain.
Cards of remembrance are sent to those who have lost loved ones as a birthday or anniversary is commemorated.
They also serve in collaboration with the Caring Ministry Team to send holiday cards to people on the Caring Ministry care list.
Heart-to-Heart
Along with the Deacons who volunteer to serve at all memorial services held at BBC, the Heart-to-Heart ministry team of volunteers, led by Linda Viprino, help to set up and serve at the receptions for many of those services. Before the service, the team works with family members to decide what they would like for the reception.
Often, catered food is delivered ahead of time and the Heart-to-Heart team arranges everything on serving platters and brings it out to Fellowship Hall, so the family can focus on the reception. These receptions are important to the grieving family members, so they can share a time of fellowship with family and friends of the person who has passed away.
Transportation Team
The Transportation ministry, led by Chuck MacMillin, provides rides to medical appointments on Cape Cod for parishioners who are unable to get there on their own or are unable to drive following the appointment.
This ministry also provides information on alternative resources for transportation on Cape Cod. They publish a list of local transportation assistance available on the Cape, and on transportation to Boston (which this ministry does not provide). The list has included “Nauset Neighbors,” “DART,” “Brewster COA Transportation Services,” along with several other resources.
BBC is so grateful for these Caring Ministry teams that support, encourage and show kindness in practical ways to our congregation and community.
If you would like more information about how to receive the services provided by any of the Caring Ministry Teams or would like to volunteer to serve on one of these ministry teams, please contact the church office.