Vol. V, No. 1
In This Issue...
- Asa Hunt recognized for pastoral ministry
- Alan Haggard named POP ‘Lay Minister of the Year’
- “It’s God’s Will.”
- Church staff member appreciates POP
Asa Hunt recognized for pastoral ministry
by Steven Spidell
Asa Hunt is much honored and appreciated throughout New Covenant Presbytery
for his pastoral
care ministry. He has served as a military chaplain, minister, as a presbytery
executive, and as a minister
of pastoral care. He 
is
currently Parish Associate at First Presbyterian Church, Houston.
In recognition of Asa’s pastoral ministry the Board of Directors
of Presbyterian Outreach to Patients
has established The Asa Hunt Fund to support the mission and ministry
of POP. A reception was held October 22 in Asa’s honor. More than
one hundred twenty friends and fans attended the event. The Asa Hunt Fund
will become a permanent part of Presbyterian Out reach in an ongoing appreciation
of Asa and support of this
vital ministry in the Texas Medical Center. Contributions
may be made at any time to The Asa Hunt Fund including
those in memory of a friend or loved one.
Alan Haggard named POP ‘Lay Minister of the Year’
Alan Haggard, a Deacon at Clear Lake Presbyterian Church, was named ‘Lay
Minister of the
Year’ at the annual Presbyterian Outreach to Patients dinner on
October 21, 2006. Alan has
visited at The Methodist Hospital since he began his ministry in January,
2004.
“What means the most to me,” Alan says, “is doing something
that ‘gets me out of myself ’ and
allows me to help others on a regular basis. The opportunity to help does
not come along all
that often, in my experience, so to be able to do so regularly is especially
meaningful.
“Additionally, there are memories of my own hospital
stays and the dearth of visitors. I remember being so
glad and even experiencing a sense of relief when one would show up, whether
I knew the person previously
or not. Those memories serve as a strong motivation.” “Alan’s
sensitivity and dedication to others truly make
him an outstanding example of what POP is all about,” said Steven
Spidell, POP Executive Director
“It’s God’s Will.”
by Steven Spidell
It is very natural for persons of faith to struggle with how God is involved when a life-threatening illness strikes. We wonder if God caused the illness; or perhaps we fear it was something we have done to merit some chastisement for our sins. Maybe God turned a blind eye to what was happening and chose not to stop our disease or to end our suffering. Perhaps our faith is not strong enough or good enough. So many questions.
I am coming to believe that thinking about God, illness, and faith in terms of cause and effect, problem and solution, is not very useful. Many of us have gone round and round from that perspective only to end up with the same questions with which we began. I believe that a more informative and formative approach seeks to be aware that we are in an active, unfolding relationship to God throughout the course of our lives. It may well be that God’s will is not so much a simple cause and effect dynamic but an active mutual relationship of love and possibility. Another way of putting this is to affirm that God is always involved in our lives to bring forth goodness in whatever happens to us. God’s will is not to pre-script our lives but to be with us and for us with healing love. That is surely one of the messages of the Incarnation. “‘…and they shall name him Emmanuel,’ which means, ‘God is with us.’” (Matthew 1:23)
Perhaps the following ideas will be of help in developing a perspective from which to discern what God’s will for us might be. When we are feeling overwhelmed by illness, or by any stressful circumstance, use these perspectives to reflect upon in your journey to discover how God is with you.
1. God is present in all that has gone on my life. God is
present now. God will always be present. I am not alone.
2. God intends for whatever happens to be integrated into my life as a
whole.
3. There is meaning and purpose to be discerned in what is happening.
In other words, what happens to me matters
both to me and to God!
4. What is going on now has spiritual dimensions that need to be explored
and developed for the maturing of my
faith.
5. Wholeness, goodness, and love are absolutely God’s will for me
in this process. In other words, God wants the best
for me.
6. Whatever sorrow, pain or loss I experience, whatever healing and recovery
come to me, I will know that through it
all God is with me and loves me.
7. Ultimately, God’s will for me is that I have a future that is
held securely in the hands of God.
Coming to know God in deeper ways is surely God’s will for us at every place along our journey.
Church staff member appreciates POP
The POP Ministry is a wonderful program. Even though our pastors visit members who are experiencing a hospital stay, it is a blessing to know that POP can provide additional pastoral care to our patients during their time of need. For some other patients, it may be the only pastoral visit they receive. It is such a great thing to call and check in with our patients and to hear the appreciation in their voice about their visit from POP. In a recent pastoral care class taken at my home church and taught by Rev. Steve Spidell, it was great to learn in full detail what the POP ministry provides to our families within Houston and surrounding area. I believe the ministry that POP provides is blessing the Presbyterian community.
Vicki Garcia
Staff Associate FPCK