Empowering Laity, CLM’s, and Pastors to Visit Nursing Facilities and Hospitals on Behalf of the Church

How do pastors get everything done in a week? What happens when the pastor is away on vacation or has important obligations and a church member needs a pastoral visit? How do we ensure that church members' spiritual and emotional needs are met in times of crisis so that they know the church is still there?

I know what it is like to be away on vacation, be at a conference meeting, or have obligations that make it impossible to be with a person during a crisis or have time to visit a care facility resident. As pastors, we want to be present and feel guilty when we can’t.

I remember the first time my pastor asked me to visit a family after the death of their husband and father. I felt uncomfortable and wished I had been trained to listen and speak.

I wish that some of the classes I took on pastoral care combined both book learning and practical applications.

The Academy for Small Ministry Church Ministries offers a course that empowers pastors and laity to visit hospitals, nursing home facilities, and shut-ins. The course combines theory and practice.

The course will help students:

• Build confidence for those who regularly are called to visit hospitals and nursing homes so that the student can be reassuring and calming to the patient/resident.
• Learn how to react to various situations in hospitals and nursing homes to make the visit meaningful.
• Be able to use the tools needed to stay in touch with patient/resident and family.

We have two gifted instructors with training and experience.

Rev. Adah Hutchcraft is a certified chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains and has served in professional chaplaincy since 2006. Most importantly, she models warmth and compassion to patients and colleagues in ministry.

Marcia Peddicord is a graduate of The Academy for Small Membership Church Ministries’ Lay Training Program and is a Certified Lay Minister. She has been a pastoral care provider in her local hospital in rural Illinois for thirteen years and regularly visits the retirement facilities in her area.

This course is designed to help the laity, CLMs, and pastors gain confidence in visiting hospitals and care facilities. As some pastors serve multi-church appointments, medium-sized and larger church pastors no longer have assistant and associate pastors, and this course can help fill the need with well-trained support.

The course includes online meetings. A webcam and microphone or headset are required, and a high-speed internet connection is recommended. Participants work online asynchronously between meetings.

When: July 8 - August 18, 2024

Online meeting dates - webcam required:

• Thu, Jul 11, 2024, 9:00 - 11:00am CDT
• Thu, Jul 18, 2024, 9:00 - 11:00am CDT
• Thu, Jul 25, 2024, 9:00 - 11:00am CDT
• Thu, Aug 1, 2024, 9:00 - 11:00am CDT
• Thu, Aug 8, 2024, 9:00 - 11:00am CDT
• Thu, Aug 15, 2024, 9:00 - 11:00am CDT

Registration deadline: July 5, 2024

Fee: $100

Scholarships are available. Contact the Rev. Dr. Carl K. Ellis for information.

Register online: Meaningful Visitation in Hospitals and Retirement Homes.