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Following devotions, the first presentation "Introduction to Visitation" was lead by Rev'd Sheila. Using overheads,
Rev'd Sheila explained that not all people have a talent to be good visitors. Pastoral visitation should be done by
those who are baptized, good listeners, and who are passionate to share the love of Jesus and His Church. To fulfill
our Baptismal Covenant and the Great Commission of our Saviour: "go into the world and preach the gospel," pastoral
visitors should go out in the community each week visiting one home at a time, loving our neighbour as ourselves.
This is done by building relationships, through communication, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. This very
enlightening presentation concluded with reasons to visit, establishing a solid visitation program, and guidelines
in developing an effective visitation ministry.
The second presentation "Guidelines for Pastoral Visiting" was lead by Blanche and Betty. From Blanche's presentation,
those attending were taught the responsibility of pastoral visitors. They should be willing to serve and share God's love. They should partake of
the Body of Christ, accept the privilege to become a visitor, receive training, agree to the terms of visitation,
and be commissioned to do this work for God.
Betty then explained the do's and don'ts of becoming a pastoral visitor. For your own protection, one should not
accept gifts from those you visit without a temporary receipt. To protect yourself from a possible abusive situation,
visit with another person and never late at night or early morning. Don't stay too long - maybe � to 1 hour. We
have two ears and one mouth, so one should listen more and talk less. A visitor should never make assumptions and
gossip only the Gospel. Confidentiality is a must. It doesn't take much to spread a rumor, but once you do, you can
never completely undo the wrong. Never judge. Be friendly. Use common sense and do it with passion for God!
The third presentation "Who & Why" was lead by Eva. She noted that visiting is a form of ministry initiated not by man
but by our Lord. We should visit those who are not as fortunate as ourselves and are unable to attend Church for
various reasons. We need to show understanding of human needs, friendship, sense of worth and that the Church cares
about them. She also lead everyone through the Modified Engel Scale which went from a level of -12 to level +2. At
each level, Eva explained how a person feels about God, what God is doing in his or her life, and how a visitor
should react at this stage. It was a well prepared presentation causing everyone to ponder where they were on this
scale in their relationship with God.
The fourth presentation "Prayer" was lead by Rev. Sheila. This presentation covered such topics as how to pray, what
is prayer, when to pray, where to pray and why, and to be careful how you pray. We pray in faith for our selves and
other people believing that God will hear and answer our prayers. All prayers may not be answered in the way we might
desire. It is God's will not ours! Kneeling is the traditional posture for penitence and standing for praise, but
you can pray anywhere - walking, standing, sitting, whatever feels comfortable. We should pray publicly and/or with
a person after receiving permission and not assume they want our prayers. You don't have to know any prayers if you
want to pray - just picture Jesus, and then say what you feel in your heart, either silently or out loud. We pray
to put our faith into actions so that others will see and come to believe. Prayer is a discipline and if we
persevere, praying will become second nature to us. Trust the spirit to guide and teach us. We can do nothing
on our own.
After a delicious lunch, which was prepared by the ladies from St. Andrew's Church, participants had a great time
putting into action all they had learned through role playing some of the possible scenarios one might encounter
while visiting. As each scenario was finished, Rev'd Sheila lead us in a discussion on how each situation was
handled by the visitors. To finish off this part of our workshop, Robert Snook, Calvin Lockyer, and Rev'd Collett
enacted a scene where three friends were visiting together. They left everyone splitting their sides in laughter.
A spectacular finish!
In concluding remarks, Rev'd White gave each one attending some time to ponder all they had seen and heard, to pray
about it, and to decide for themselves if they feel the call to become Pastoral Visitors in God's Kingdom. Special
commissioning services will be held throughout our Parish for those interested in making this commitment.
This very enjoyable and worthwhile workshop ended with prayer and the singing of the hymn "Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace."
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