PASTORAL CARE
April 15, 2019
Find tips and resources for self-care, material to assist you in providing pastoral care, and general information to help you in your practice of ministry. Information will be updated every two weeks concurrent with the East Ohio E-news. Archives Here ...
Pastoral Care Day Apart: May 16, 2019
Wellington Reservation, Lorain Co. Metro Parks
“Be Peace: A Retreat”
Considering the conflict and lack of civility in our world and communities, our churches and families, and within ourselves, the focus of our Spiritual Enrichment Groups this year has been: “Being Peace.” Following Jesus’ practice of going into a quiet place to spend time alone with Abba, in our retreat we will seek to find our center and listen for what God is calling us to, so that we may emerge as agents of transformation in the world.
Please join us for this Pastoral Care Day-A-Part at beautiful Wellington Reservation to awaken and renew your soul in the practice peace. Through silence, prayer, singing, drumming, movement, walking in nature and fellowship we are sure to be touched by the peace that passes all understanding.
Registration:
Call Lynn at (330) 456-0486 or e-mail at: pastoralcareeoc@gmail.com
Registration fee: $15.00
Oh the violence we do to those we don’t understand.
When has being right ever led you to being closer to another.
Be the Change You Want to See in the World
by Joseph Ranseth
Quote attributed to Gandhi is great advice but actually a paraphrase.
And while all of this “be the change” talk is good counsel, if we dig a little bit deeper, we realize that he wasn’t just telling us to lead by example, or to not get caught up in other people’s business while we still have our own issues to deal with.
What he actually said was something much, much deeper.
“We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Heartbreak, Violence, and Hope for New Life
by Parker Palmer
A disciple asks the rebbe: “Why does Torah tell us to ‘place these words upon your hearts’? Why does it not tell us to place these holy words in our hearts?” The rebbe answers: “It is because as we are, our hearts are closed, and we cannot place the holy words in our hearts. So we place them on top of our hearts. And there they stay until, one day, the heart breaks and the words fall in.” —Hasidic tale
Heartbreak comes with the territory called being human. When love and trust fail us, when what once brought meaning goes dry, when a dream drifts out of reach, a devastating disease strikes, or someone precious to us dies, our hearts break and we suffer.
What can we do with our pain? How might we hold it and work with it? How do we turn the power of suffering toward new life? The way we answer those questions is critical because violence is what happens when we don’t know what else to do with our suffering.
Violence is not limited to inflicting physical harm. We do violence every time we violate the sanctity of the human self — our own or another person’s.
Oren Jay Sofer on Leading with Presence
with Rabbi Rami Shapiro
Rabbi Rami talks to Oren Jay Sofer about the broader practice of nonviolent communication and the tools that can connect us to our humanity.
A thoughtful discussion about nonviolent communication, curiosity, and care in our relationships to ourselves, others, and the world.
We typically think of violence as doing physical harm. But consider: “Violence is any unavoidable impairment of fundamental human needs.” This would particularly include structures and systems that does harm. We do violence when we demonize those we disagree with, even if there is harm committed.
Sofer offers three steps to non-violent communication:
Consider:
Listen to the interview here ...
Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication
by Oren Jay Sofer, reviewed by Kathryn Drury Wagner
Oh, Oren Jay Sofer, how the world needs you. Sofer is a teacher of meditation and leader of retreats; he is professionally trained in Somatic Experiencing, which is a method for healing trauma, and has a background in classical Buddhist training, including several years living in a monastery. His main area of expertise and interest is the interplay between contemplative practice and communication. In this, his first book, Sofer presents a rather extraordinary vision of how to engage with other humans, sans emotional conflict. Imagine, for example, clarifying what you most want to convey in a tricky conversation, and then actually getting to it. Imagine leaving the conversation with both parties feeling heard and seen. Imagine actually honoring whatever intention you had going into the conversation. Using a guidebook format with plenty of Q&As and literal scripts, Sofer sets out to show us how, while sharing the philosophy, spirituality, and history supporting his suggestions.
Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication
by Oren Jay Sofer
Find your voice, speak your truth, listen deeply—a guide to more meaningful and mindful conversations.
We spend so much of our lives talking to each other, but how much are we simply running on automatic—relying on old habits and hoping for the best? Are we able to truly hear others and speak our mind in a clear and kind way, without needing to get defensive or go on the attack? In this groundbreaking synthesis of mindfulness, somatics, and Nonviolent Communication, Oren Jay Sofer offers simple yet powerful practices to develop healthy, effective, and satisfying ways of communicating.
The techniques in Say What You Mean will help you to:
Watch for the announcements of groups as fall approaches.
The Program in Pastoral Care and Counseling encourages the spiritual formation of our pastors believing a strong spiritual base is the greatest resource a church leader can possess. It helps us weather the many storms of ministry and deepens the incredible joys ministry provides. Following is a list of Spiritual Directors in our area. We encourage you to take advantage of this rich resource. This listing will appear in each edition of our bi-monthly webpage updates and new names and contact information will be provided as we learn of them and have permission to include them. If you are a director or know of a director that is not included here please let us know.
Spritual Directors:
Debbie Baker - connectingministries@gmail.com
Bruce Batchler-Glader – brucebg@yahoo.com
Harry Finkbone - Finkbone1@gmail.com
Joyce Gordon - joytgordon@gmail.com
Karen Hollingsworth - karenj.hollingsworth@gmail.com
Liz Nau – mlnau2002@gmail.com
Hazel Partington – hazelpartington1@gmail.com
Jennifer Olin-Hitt – jolinhitt@gmail.com
Judy Ringler - jringler77@gmail.com
Sharon Seyfarth Garner – spiritualdirection@att.net
Carol Topping - cptopping@gmail.com
Laura Tradowsky -- ltrad@earthlink.net
Laurie Tucker - ltfriendship188@gmail.com
What Can We Do to Stop the Violence
by Harleena Singh
How can we stop the violence? The violence that is rampant in homes, on women, against seniors, in the society, and in the schools. You know this post is triggered by the recent shooting incident. It was a big tragedy, but several such small incidents keep happening not only in America but all around the world.
What can we parents and responsible citizens do to root out violence from our lives and the society?
No, it’s not about just making a law on the guns or abolishing their use. If not the guns, it can be anything else used as a medium to show violence.
To completely stop the violence you need to get to the root from where mostly the problem rises – the person and the family. And who’s the one responsible to an extent?
Yes, the answer to the question should be a no-brainer.
We need to be better parents and more humane individuals to stop the violence from breeding in the minds of our children, teenagers, and even adults.
Though parents can’t be totally held responsible in all the cases of violence, but it makes a difference if we have closely bonded loving families.
If you have any questions or issues you would like for us to address or would like to get email alerts when new resources have been posted please contact Howard Humphress at hkhumphress@gmail.com or use our quick contact form.
Or contact our office at pastoralcareeoc@gmail.com or call (330) 456-0486.
The East Ohio Conference Pastoral Care Office:
Howard Humphress, D. Min.
Executive Director
E-mail
Office Administrator
Lynn Smith
E-mail
Address:
1445 Harrison Ave. NW., Suite 301
Canton, OH 44708
Phones/Fax:
Local: (330) 456-0486
Toll Free: (866) 456-3600
Fax: (330) 456-6421
Office Hours:
Monday through Friday
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
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