Pastoral Care

FOR YOURSELF OR A FAMILY MEMBER / COMMUNITY MEMBER

By Pastor Kent Svendsen

Pastoral Care Cell Phone: 815 786 4106

Email: godrilla@accessus.net

When it comes to visiting people here is the way I prioritize my time:      

1. Emergencies: Those who have been taken to the hospital by ambulance or those in the hospital or under hospice care who’s condition has taken a bad turn.

 2. Requested Care: “Pastor please come to see me.” or “Pastor please make a visit to (their name).”  Then some details about the situation would be helpful. Please note how much importance I give to this category.  It’s so high on the list because as the pastor of two churches with almost four hundred members sometimes I’m not aware of dramatic changes in situations or the exact personal needs of every member. This can be a visit with you or for somebody else in the congregation whom you think could use a visit. I am always grateful for people who help me by pointing out situations which were obvious to them but of which I was unaware.  Please know that my intention is to give all people of the congregation quality pastoral care. So if your ever wondering why the pastor didn’t go see somebody please know that the pastor is probably wondering why somebody didn’t bring it to his attention.  I would appreciate your help and will happily accept your phone call. This is especially true as I begin ministry in your community since it will take me a while to sort things out.

 3. Hospital Visits: If you’re in the hospital and I’m not sick (in which case the hospital doesn’t want me to be there.) I will try my best to make a visit.  I will also make every effort (if you want me there) to be there to pray with you before you go into surgery and  sit with the family until the doctor reports the outcome. Of course I can only do that if I know about it so please don’t assume that just because somebody in the church knows the information that the pastor also knows the information. Sometimes the Prayer Chain doesn’t work exactly like it’s supposed to work and sometimes everyone thought that everyone else had told me about the situation. Also please understand that I cannot be in two places at once. Occasionally things will come up in which I have to make some hard decisions in choosing between different pastoral care needs and church responsibilities. Finally, distance can become a factor. If you are in a hospital which is a very long distance away a phone call may have to replace a personal visit.  

 4. Home Bound / Nursing Home visits: My intentions are that if possible I will visit every individual in this category within our surrounding communities on a monthly basis. Distance plays a very important factor in how often I visit because of travel time. Of course if I’m informed that the person’s condition is declining significantly I go immediately. That’s because it falls under the no.2 category of Requested Care.

 5. Visits that I make as outreach to the members of the church and the local community. These are made if all the rest of my pastoral responsibilities have been completed. 

I consider my church community as my extended family.  So please feel free to give me a call just to help me catch up on what’s going on in your life as part of the family.