Clergy for a day
I thought it was going to be a laid-back day until I went to work at 4pm. Then I checked the answering machine.
A call had come into the church about a member who hasn't been in awhile, who is in the hospital. Actually, the call came in Wednesday, but it took until late Thursday to figure out who they were calling about. (Stupid HIPAA. If the person put down that you should call their church, do you think maybe you are therefore allowed to the tell said church who the fuck you're calling about???) The church secretary called me Friday morning, but as I was working 7am-midnight, I didn't get the message until Saturday. Nice system. She could've been dead, or preferably much better and discharged.
So, as one of the two founding members of the Caring Committee, I go down to visit. So far, I've only done home visits with one person. The hospital thing was new. Normally the minister does those, but as it happens he had surgery this week himself. And anyway, there won't be a minister next year, so I might as well learn the ropes, right?
Go to the info desk, see "clergy sign-in sheets." Ask the person manning the desk if I should sign in and fill out a clergy badge, as I am essentially pinch-hitting for the minister. Sure, she says. So I do, and she gives me directions to the person's room.
Poor woman is a prime example of why we need to make our church more physically accessible. She hasn't been staying away because of philosophical differences or even plain old apathy. She has had a couple years worth of knee problems, and can't do the stairs. Latest hospital stay is due to complications to the last attempt to fix the knee. I think I'm going to try and find some prices on those chair-lift things you can run alongside a staircase. Because we have a street-level entrance, just a windy staircase to get up to the sanctuary once you're in.
Anyway, we visited for awhile, and set a plan for me to visit her at home when she is discharged. She was pleased someone came. I wish I'd had a better idea what I was supposed to *do* other than make polite conversation. Maybe I'll also trot over to the UUA bookstore and see if they have anything on the subject. Because some sort of prayer would seem appropriate ... but, what kind? I'm good at the "let's try to include everyone in some way" prayers we do in a service, but that's not really fitting for one-on-one.
I don't know why I'm still up. I do need to go to church tomorrow. Partly because I really ought to be there for the last-minute lay service (our minister thought he'd be able to preach four days after having surgery, and discovered he was mistaken). Partly because I promised this person to mention her during Joys and Concerns. And partly because it just doesn't look too good for the Acting Worship Committee Chair to ditch service and then show for a Worship Committee Meeting.
A call had come into the church about a member who hasn't been in awhile, who is in the hospital. Actually, the call came in Wednesday, but it took until late Thursday to figure out who they were calling about. (Stupid HIPAA. If the person put down that you should call their church, do you think maybe you are therefore allowed to the tell said church who the fuck you're calling about???) The church secretary called me Friday morning, but as I was working 7am-midnight, I didn't get the message until Saturday. Nice system. She could've been dead, or preferably much better and discharged.
So, as one of the two founding members of the Caring Committee, I go down to visit. So far, I've only done home visits with one person. The hospital thing was new. Normally the minister does those, but as it happens he had surgery this week himself. And anyway, there won't be a minister next year, so I might as well learn the ropes, right?
Go to the info desk, see "clergy sign-in sheets." Ask the person manning the desk if I should sign in and fill out a clergy badge, as I am essentially pinch-hitting for the minister. Sure, she says. So I do, and she gives me directions to the person's room.
Poor woman is a prime example of why we need to make our church more physically accessible. She hasn't been staying away because of philosophical differences or even plain old apathy. She has had a couple years worth of knee problems, and can't do the stairs. Latest hospital stay is due to complications to the last attempt to fix the knee. I think I'm going to try and find some prices on those chair-lift things you can run alongside a staircase. Because we have a street-level entrance, just a windy staircase to get up to the sanctuary once you're in.
Anyway, we visited for awhile, and set a plan for me to visit her at home when she is discharged. She was pleased someone came. I wish I'd had a better idea what I was supposed to *do* other than make polite conversation. Maybe I'll also trot over to the UUA bookstore and see if they have anything on the subject. Because some sort of prayer would seem appropriate ... but, what kind? I'm good at the "let's try to include everyone in some way" prayers we do in a service, but that's not really fitting for one-on-one.
I don't know why I'm still up. I do need to go to church tomorrow. Partly because I really ought to be there for the last-minute lay service (our minister thought he'd be able to preach four days after having surgery, and discovered he was mistaken). Partly because I promised this person to mention her during Joys and Concerns. And partly because it just doesn't look too good for the Acting Worship Committee Chair to ditch service and then show for a Worship Committee Meeting.