With increasing pastoral care needs in churches, many congregations are looking for ways to train and include lay caregivers in their ministries.

I am excited to offer this training program in the Southwest Conference.

The materials have been ordered for us to review in the conference office. Upon their arrival I will begin to formulate a training program, select trainers from among available pastors and chaplains, and schedule training throughout the conference. I anticipate 8-12 hours of training to cover the material and equip caregivers with knowledge, practical experience, and confidence. I anticipate being ready to hold the first training in late August or early September.

Trainings can happen regionally. One training can be offered in Albuquerque. Another training can be offered in central Arizona. A third training can be scheduled for southern Arizona.

Tucson churches already using the program are invited to join Good Shepherd in Sahuarita for a refresher course. Please pass this information on to your Called to Care coordinator/caregiving team.

In anticipation of this launch, you can begin recruiting caregivers/volunteers and purchasing the program for your church and your volunteers. The materials found on the Called to Care webpage can help with those tasks. Once your materials arrive you can begin imagining how you will structure your Caregiving Ministry.

Each church/ministry setting will need:

Called to Care Notebook with CD
A pocket handbook for each trainee

We encourage you to purchase a caregiver pin for each volunteer in your church who successfully completes the training.

Let me know if you have questions. More coming next month!

If your church is interested in the SWC providing this training to your volunteers, please contact Conference Minister Bill Lyons at blyons@uccswc.org.