Support Team Ministry

Creating Community through Caregiving Support Teams

This is a ministry incorporating trained teams of people (parishioners, friends, and neighbors) to extend spiritual and emotional support and practical assistance to people in need of long-term care, using the model originally developed by the “Support Team Network” of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and supported locally by “Project Compassion.”

Each of us, from time to time, needs the support of others so that we can do what is required of us when we are embattled in life. This is especially true when confronting terminal illness or other critical health situation. When we ourselves are sick or when caring for a sick loved one, having the support of others can make all the difference in the world. Though a Support Team cannot endure the medical treatments on our behalf, having caring folks who can offer spiritual and practical support (run errands, take children to piano lessons or sports practice, cook meals, walk the dog) can give us the strength to get through what we must.

So what exactly is a Support Team? A Support Team is a group of people with a variety of talents who like to help in different kinds of ways. The team provides on-going attention and coordinated care to those who need a variety of assistance. Types of assistance vary according to needs but may include providing social contact, light housekeeping, running errands, reading aloud, or being an exercise partner. Because dealing with multiple needs may exceed the ability of one caregiver, a team works to provide coordination of care for the person in need and mutual support for fellow team members. The parish’s Support Team Ministry provides, in turn, the structure and organization to provide assistance to all of the support teams.

An August 2009 article in our monthly newsletter “CrossRoads” describes our Support Team Ministry in more detail: "Hope..."

Support team members offer the services and talents they most enjoy giving in a flexible time frame that accommodates work, travel, and other responsibilities. Team members are given the opportunity to offer service that is greatly valued and appreciated by those they serve, and the relationships formed both with the care friend and among team members reflect the best in loving, Christian community.

Members of the congregation who would like to join a support team or who know of persons who might need the support of a team should contact the Rev. Victoria Jamieson-Drake, Associate for Pastoral Ministry (929-2193, vjd@thechapelofthecross.org).