Caring for People within and Beyond Skyline

"I've told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I'm no longer calling you servants because servants don't understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I've named you friends because I've let you in on everything I've heard from the Father." John 15:11-15 (The Message)

Over the years, Skyline Church has always maintained a passion for demonstrating God's love for hurting people in tangible ways. We like to think of the ways we care for each other and for strangers who become friends as a form of living prayer. We have official and unofficial ways to go about that ministry, which are more or less intentional and coordinated, but we believe God's Holy Spirit directs and guides us to make a call or to write a note of encouragement or condolence, to take a little something over or to share our time - and especially to take notice of someone who seems to need a friend.

Four different types of caregiving at Skyline Church
1. Friendship support - God calls everyone to bear each other's burdens as members of the priesthood of all believers.
2. Church-sponsored caregiving relationships between caregivers and care receivers, at home or in the hospital. This includes Communion distribution, intentional caregiving efforts by small groups, and caregiving teams.
3. Pastoral care, visitation and counseling provided by our ordained pastoral staff members. Our co-pastors are trained and experienced in providing spiritual direction, crisis counseling, marriage preparation or marriage enrichment counseling, and conversations about how is it with your soul - all completely confidential and without charge.
4. Stephen Ministers who are trained, matched in an intentional, confidential relationship with care receivers, and under ongoing peer supervision. We anticipate training our first class of Stephen Ministers from January to May of 2009, when we will be able to assign them to people in need of this type of care.

To communicate your need for any of these caring ministries, please contact our church office.