Quiet Kindness

We had one of those very satisfying phone calls the other day which point out the importance of community life as Christians and the quiet kindness and generosity of our members. The adult granddaughter of one of members who is 90+ said that she had been in to see her grandmother at the nursing home. She mentioned the nice man from the church who has been in to see her several times lately. The granddaughter was grateful and wondered who it is.

Now, I know Vi likes me, but I knew immediately that she was referring to John, a retired professional in the congregation who has joined our visitation program. John has a nice way with seniors and a good sense of humour, so this is a great fit. Our pastoral care worker, Beth, has connected up all nineteen of our nursing home and seniors' residence members with volunteers who have agreed to visit them on a regular basis. Beth and I try to get to the ten nursing homes as often as we can, but this way another relationship can be established.

John had agreed to see two people in this home, although one has recently moved to a more secure facility. The daughter of one of our seniors has agreed to see the other three St. Paul's members who live where her mother is situated. We haven't specified how often the visits will take place or what has to happen. What is important is the visit.

When I come to the end of a visit with a senior I pray, and often I ask God to give the person the assurance that they are not forgotten by their church family. They are not "out of sight, out of mind." This initiative is a way of demonstrating that this is true in a very practical way.

Would you find it daunting to visit someone in this way? Would you be more inclined to participate if you were trained first? Do you like the idea?