Contacting the Care Team Ministry
To contact the Care Team Ministry with a visitation request or to share information about a potential care need, call the church office at 610-562-2593 or Office@HamburgFirstUCC.org, or email the Care Team Coordinators directly at CareTeam@HamburgFirstUCC.org.
Biblical Mandate
34Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 45Then he will answer them,’Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’
~ Matthew 25:34-36, 45
14Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.
~ James 5:14
Visitation Care Team Ministry
Our Care Team Ministry (CTM) is composed of members who have: (1) gone through the Called To Care training (or are in the midst of taking the training); (2) have appropriate background check clearances; and (3) have been approved by the Spiritual Council to participate in the Care Team Ministry.
Our Care Team Ministry Members visit members when in a hospital or rehabilitation hospital, recently home from the hospital, during times of grief, when on hospice, and at other times of similar need.
Annually, the Spiritual Council appoints an Elder to be the Acute Care Coordinator and the Homebound Care Coordinator. They coordinate the CTM list and helps to ensure visits are being made timely and appropriately. If you are interested in helping with our Care Team Ministries or for more information, please contact our coordinators, any Elder on Consistory, or the Pastor. You can contact the current coordinators directly at CareTeam@HamburgFirstUCC.org or by calling the church office at 610-562-2593.
Homebound / Shut-in / Home Communion List - Visitation Ministry
Each of our homebound members who are on our home communion are assigned an Elder to visit with them. In addition to the Pastor’s visits to our homebound members, each of our homebound members receives visits from an Elder throughout the year. That Elder is trained and approved by the Pastor to serve home communion.
Annually, the Spiritual Council appoints an Elder to be the Homebound Care Coordinator, who coordinates the list of Elders providing visits and ensures that all of our homebound members are being visited regularly by an Elder.
Called To Care
Visitation Ministry Training Program
“Called-To-Care” (C2C) is our seven session training program for lay persons engaged in the visitation ministry to our hospitalized, ill, and homebound members. This program was developed by the United Church of Christ.
All Elders and anyone else engaged in visitation ministries are to complete at least sessions #1 & #2 (which address such issues as confidentiality, initiating a visit, basic do’s and don’ts of a hospital or home visit, and more) before beginning visitations, and are to continue to strive to complete all seven. This requirement will go into effect in June 2027 (most of our Elders completed that training in the spring of 2026). All Elders who are providing communion are to also complete session #7, which is the session that provides the training for serving communion.
To find out when our next session will be offered and/or to be notified when the next series will begin, please contact the church office at 610-562-2593 or Office@HamburgFirstUCC.org. Our training sessions are generally open to members of other churches, as well.
