A Big Deal!

When I took part in the first BeFriender Ministry program offered at St. Andrew’s in 1995, I had no idea that 13 years later, I’d be helping launch that same ministry in the country of Slovakia. Yet on July 10th, that’s exactly what will happen! To date, over twenty pastors and lay members from churches all over western and southern Slovakia have registered for the day long seminar on pastoral care.

Pastor Natalia Kacianova from Martin and myself, co-leaders of the conference, will be joined by two BeFriender ministers from Hosanna Lutheran Church in Forest Lake, MN, Renee Svoboda and SueAnn Anderson. Together, in English and in Slovak, we will reflect on the royal priesthood of all believers, the equipping of the saints and Jesus’ command to love one another as He has loved us. We’ll learn what it means to have compassion, especially in the context of a pastoral visit. We’ll discuss mutuality, the importance of confidentiality, and the phases and predominant emotions found in grief and bereavement. We will role play visits and practice our active listening skills.

In the words of my dear friend, Pastor Natalia, “This seminar will be a BIG deal!” Indeed it will be as nothing like this has ever happened before in Slovakia! Due to communist oppression for so many years and the resultant shortage of pastors, pastoral care nearly became extinct. When someone died, the pastors had all they could manage to simply preside over the funeral service. There was no follow up care. Additionally, pastors believed that they had to “do it all” – that the laity could not be actively involved in providing spiritual and emotional care to their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

Those of us involved in leading the seminar hope and pray that all who attend it, whether ordained or lay, Slovak or American, will take leave seeing themselves and one another as ministers, equal partners, called to love and serve the body of Christ. We also pray that each person will recognize his/her God given gifts, hear God’s call and by the power of the Holy Spirit, step out in faith. Tomorrow is a new day and it is the beginning of a very BIG deal! Let us rejoice in it!

All thanks and glory be to God, our Father, who makes all things new and possible!

In Christ,

Candee Moser