PASTORAL CARE

here at Oakley with Wootton

Lifegroups

The main element in pastoral care at St. Leonard's is membership of a Life Group, which we encourage everyone to join. This is the setting in which we can share our lives with others and receive the support and encouragement that we need as Christians. In addition as a church we try to have different levels of pastoral care according to peoples needs.

Personal Daily Prayer

It is also vital that as Christians we take right responsibility for our own spiritual development and growth. The basis of this is a daily time alone with God, to worship Him, read and meditate on His Word and be intimate with Him in prayer. This discipline, time for which always has to be fought for in our lives, is fundamental to our spiritual well being and we ignore it at our peril.

Prayer Triplets etc.

In addition to both of these there are Prayer Triplets (3 people) or Partnerships (2 people) for both men and women. If you would like to be part of one of these you should initially contact Simon Constantine on 851690 for men, or Jan Klein on 782169 for women. These regular groups, normally lasting just an hour a week, are designed for us to be able to share at an even deeper level than in a Life Group, and give us just one or two people to whom we can open up and be accountable. This can be a safe place where key personal matters can be resolved.

Christian Friends

You could also approach a Christian friend who you trust. If not, then asking your Life Group could be the next step. It is there that we can most naturally pray for one another, both during and in between our meetings as a group.

Prayer after a Service

We try to make available different levels of help according to the depth of the need. A first step to seeking ministry, after what has already been outlined, is to ask for prayer after a service with trained members of the ministry team.

Prayer during the Week

If the problem is more complex and requires more time and perhaps skill, then there are a number of more experienced ministry team members who try to make themselves available to pray at other times during the week. In order to arrange such prayer you should get in touch with Brian or Hilary on 780825 or Jan Klein on 782169 who will try and arrange for suitable people to pray with you.

Christian Counselling

If still more time and expertise is required we are in touch with a number of trained Christian counsellors outside the church and parish, and will be happy to recommend one of these to you. This is normally done on a professional basis and requires payment.

Local Expertise

In addition to all this, there are a number of excellent Christian groups in the area who have particular gifts in praying for special problems or situations. We would be glad to talk to you to see which would suit you best. It is often good to visit them where and when they meet, taking a friend with you for support.

Dependence on the Power of God

In everything we want to be completely dependent on the Lord who is our healer. He uses others to minister His grace to us, as we ourselves faithfully seek Him, looking to Him to meet our needs, and living in obedience and trust as He leads us into the wholeness which He won for us at such great cost on the cross. As we receive His healing, the encouraging thing is that we in turn can share with others the love that He came to bring to a needy and hurting world.