Tales from the Team

  • 26 January 2022
  • Meg Matthews
Age Care
My tale is about the value of team ministry. A delightful gentleman who lives in one of our parish’s aged care homes. He is in his 90s and his very dear wife recently passed away in the home where they had resided together. This gentleman has more recently reconnected with his Christian faith in a deeper way, and he has enjoyed attending services and receiving Holy Communion on a few occasions. He rang me the day his dear wife passed away, and we talked and prayed together. I explained that I was not currently in Sydney but would do my best to come in to see him as soon as possible. When I hung up, I felt terrible that I was not able to be present for him at this hard time of his wife’s death, especially as his children live overseas and he has not been able to see them at all in Covid.
I rang Jeff Ware and explained the situation, and that the home was not currently allowing outside visitors to come in. Jeff turned up at the home the very next day, and when they realised he was a clergyman coming to give pastoral care to this grieving man, he was allowed straight in. Jeff and this gentleman spent a wonderful two hours together, talking about life, his marriage and faith, praying and reading the scriptures together. What a blessing! If ever you wonder about the value of aged care ministry, I think this tale says it all.