Community Includes Caring

Clarity, Character, Commitment, and Community—those are the four “c’s” that go with Christ-Centered living!  The Church has always been called to be a caring community (within the body of Christ) and also a community that cares about the community God has placed us in (the world around us).  That all sounds good, but how do we go about doing that practically?

The truth is that Windwood is a caring community, and there are many of our members who are involved in the Care Ministry here.  Below is a chart that shows the seven different and specific care ministries under the Congregational Care Council.  Did you know there is a Disaster Relief Plan for the next time we have flooding or widespread power-outages (as in the ice-storm a few years back) so we can call all of our members to check in and see if they need assistance?

Or did you know there is a “meal-train” ministry to help deliver meals to those who have recently returned from a hospital stay and need a few meals brought to them to help with recovery?  Or if there is someone in the hospital that would like a visit and-or a prayer shawl?  Or members who are homebound and need to maintain that “common thread” with the family of faith?  Or did you know that we have a newborn ministry that helps provide for families when they bring that precious new life home for the first time?  And, of course, there is our prayer ministry, and also a group for just general concerns?

Aside from knowing about these ministries (most of which have been in place for quite some time) the real question is, do you know how to access these ministries?  That what we want to make clear, because we cannot help when we don’t know who needs the help.  So the most important part of understanding the Care Ministries at Windwood, is how to access them!  And it all starts with sending an e-mail to care@windwoodpc.org (well, actually, you could also call the church office and speak to someone!).  This e-mail (even if you call in) is our “clearing-house” for information.  You see, even if you don’t know the specifics of what help is available, if you let us know what the need is, we’ll take it from there!  But, again, we can’t help if we don’t know about the need.

And that is why we cannot emphasize the following enough—you don’t have to be the one in need to let us know!  Often, when people are struggling, they are reluctant, or just don’t think about, contacting the church!  But “the church” is not the institution, it’s the people—so if you know about their need (and you are part of the church), please send us an e-mail (or call) and let the Care Ministries folks know about it!  We know that a lot of our folks are pretty self-sufficient and will often tell us thanks, but they don’t need additional help, but we want to at least be able to make the offer!  Caring and connection are an essential part of community!

And this is not limited to “members” of Windwood, but to the friends and neighbors of our members in our community!  Does that mean I could call about my next door neighbor who just got home from the hospital and needs some meals?  YES!  Caring for the community (the world around us) is as much a call for us as caring for our community of faith!  But we can’t act on information we don’t have!

So, please, look over the chart, and the next time you, or a friend or neighbor needs some caring—e-mail or call us and let us know.  It is not a problem if we get multiple notices about the same situation—it is a problem when we don’t get any!  So, error on the side of letting us know!  We have people who are ready, willing, and able to help, but none of them have a crystal ball!  We need to hear from you so we can be the caring community God as called us to be.  Give it a try.  It does make a difference!