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Overview Prayers and poetry for the Pandemic

Spiritual Care

  1. Ministries
  2. Spiritual Care

COVID-19: For those who may still feel isolated or stressed and in need of prayer because of the COVID pandemic, see covidprayers.org, where you can find a prayer for these times and/or post your own. We are also pleased to offer a selection of other inspirational poetry and prayers. See page at left.

Need pastoral care after hours? Please call the church at (250) 388-5188, press 4, then wait on the line.  

Prayer Connections: Email. For more information, please see below.

Rev. Shelagh MacKinnon is First Met's Lead Minister.

Shelagh MacKinnon

The Spiritual Care Ministry is available to support and accompany you through the major transitions in life. This may include visits to home, hospital or palliative care or just an opportunity to share your stories, both joyful and painful. The Spiritual Care Committee is an integral part of this circle of support through its Visitation and Care Calls programs to those who are unable to come to church, a Prayer Connections Ministry and a Knitting Group.

All our spiritual growth programs and workshops are open to everyone from the community. One example of our offerings is Women Exploring Spirituality, a group that meets monthly and bases its discussions around the reading of a book chosen by the group. Check out our Events Calendar for the dates for upcoming programs.

Spiritual Practices at First Met

We encourage you to explore a range of spiritual practices to see which ones might be a best fit for you. One basic practice we encourage is to gather regularly with the worshipping community. Some spiritual practices are explored in programs such as writing. Others, such as meditation, can be practiced on your own.

Visitation and Care Calls Program

Home Visitation and Care Calls is a ministry of First Metropolitan United Church. Its purpose is to maintain a sense of connection and community through regular telephone calls and/or visits to mutually benefit the volunteer callers and those no longer active in church life. Calls and visits may be made to those who:

  • are residing in Independent Living and Care Facilities
  • are home bound
  • have a disability or an illness that is isolating
Under the direction of  the Volunteer Visitation/Care Call Coordinator, Minister of Spiritual Care, Health and Wellness Advocate and the Spiritual Care and Wellness Committee, trained volunteers will call/visit to receive prayer requests, information to be shared with Ministry staff, requests for visits or Home Communion and to confirm and update contact information.
                                                        

Knitting Group

The Knitting Group gathers monthly to knit together, providing Prayer Shawls, Prayer Patches and a variety of special projects for those in need of comfort. Please see Social Groups for more details.

 

Prayer Connections

First Met has an intercessory prayer group, the Prayer Connections Team. Members are committed to praying  during their personal prayer time for requests from the congregation and staff. Prayers can be for yourself or those you care about regarding anything that concerns you: health problems, bereavement, relationship issues, work-related or student concerns, financial issues etc. Private information is kept strictly confidential. Prayer team members pray for each request for one month. You may renew your request after that time if you wish.
                                              
How can I make a request?
The work of the prayer team continues, uninterrupted by COVID-19! But the ways of submitting prayer requests have changed during the pandemic.
  • Send in a request by Email 
  • Prayer request forms are available in the sanctuary and completed forms can be put in the donation baskets
  • If you do not have internet to email the prayer team, please contact a staff member via a phone call or message or a written note. They will be able to pass on prayer requests to the prayer team.