Our congregational care team extends a ministry of love and connection to our members, to those connected with our membership, to our greater community, and to the world. We work to respond with Christ’s love to life events, illnesses, bereavements, and long-term changes in abilities. Congregational care encompasses all sorts of vibrant ministries including taking altar flowers to the hospital, home visitation, home communion, frozen casseroles delivery, Stitch and Pray ministry, card ministry, support groups, volunteer parish nursing, and many more.
Programs
Deliver an “Upper Room” magazine and a dose of TLC every other month to our folks that can’t get out easily.
Deliver communion once a quarter and share in the sacrament with them.
Help make or deliver frozen casseroles
Take flowers from the altar to those in the hospital or in rehab.
Hospital Visitation Ministry
This is a week-end opportunity for visitation to those in the hospital or in rehab
Send out cards of care, encouragement, and celebration.
Use your sewing skills to make baby blankets, prayer shawls and lap blankets.
Deliver a special gift to our AT HOME members on or near their birthday.
Grief Support and Caregiver Support both meet on the first Wednesdays of the month.
Social time for our Adults with special needs, 3-5 each Thursday.
Are you going through a tough time, emotionally or spiritually? Stephen Ministers help care receivers face a variety of life’s challenges in a one-on-one caring, Christian, confidential manner.
Nurse volunteers walk with church members through difficult times and also volunteer for medically-related opportunities.
Crossroads Medical Mission
Once a month free care for the uninsured in a mobile clinic that comes to our parking lot.
Washington School Apartment Outreach
Once a week Bible study with our friends at Washington School Apartments
Every other week free haircuts in our church salon.
Promoting conversations on topics related to race relationships and social justice.
Stephen Ministry
Are you going through a tough time emotionally or spiritually? Are you struggling with a crisis of life, loss of a loved one, or simply feeling down? Let a Stephen Minister help you. A Stephen Minister is a church member trained to listen, care, encourage, pray, and walk beside you during difficult times. This ministry is a confidential and free extension of our pastoral care.
Do you have a friend, neighbor, co-worker, or relative going through a difficult time? A Stephen Minister may be able to provide the emotional and spiritual care needed.
To learn how you or someone else can receive this confidential care, or if you're interested in becoming a Stephen leader, please speak with a pastor, parish nurse, or Stephen leader.
Contact Info
Stephen Leaders
Angie Everett: (859) 361-4293
Eric Fritz: (423) 246-8384
Lisa & Phillip Tencer: (423) 276-0860
Parish Nurse
Joy Eastridge: (423) 224-1512
Bridge Builders
Bridge Builders at First Broad Street United Methodist Church is a group that was founded in August 2020, as a response to George Floyd’s murder. Bridge Builders group is one way the church continues to respond to the need for change in race relationships in our own context.
We began to meet and study and learn and pray. Our name is inspired by Latasha Morrison’s book, Be the Bridge. Bridge Builders continue to meet on the second Wednesday of each month, and for special book studies, community events, even movie screenings!
Our leader is Bob Funke, and our communications person is Larry Hobbs. Each group is comprised of 14 persons, seven white and seven of color, male and female. They meet for seven weeks and discuss a series of topics.
The purpose of these groups are to build bridges between different racial groups and promote racial reconciliation by applying principles of the Christian faith.
In groups of 14 people who represent a diverse group of males and females and people of color and white people, we share our personal stories in relation to racism and examine our experiences considering the concepts in the book Be the Bridge by Latasha Morrison.
In a safe, caring, and non-judgmental environment, we explore together how to personally apply the following principles to racism:
• Love: we will be guided in the process by Jesus’ call for us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind and love our neighbor as ourselves.
• Humility: begin the process with an understanding that we all are flawed and in need of growth.
• Lamentation: examine and learn from historical racism with a mindset of feeling intense sadness, not guilt and shame, for the abuse and injustice people of color have experienced in the past at the hands of white ancestors and identifying changes that we must make.
• Repentance: personal reflection on and turning from our individual and systemic active and passive acts and attitudes of racism.
• Confession: confession of our individual wrongs to God and individuals harmed.
• Forgiveness: extension of forgiveness to those who have committed racist acts or demonstrated racist attitudes as a foundation for building bridges in relations that have been broken.
• Reconciliation: be intentional about building relationships with people who do not look like us by applying the above principles.
