"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Jesus took his personal mission from Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” (Luke 4:18-19; from Isaiah 61:1-2). Jesus’ Mission is therefore to Care for the Needy, Broken hearted, Oppressed, and Imprisoned, with every caregiver, and every Christian, being called to adopt Jesus’ mission statement.
We see the glory of Jesus’ counselling ministry within the Gospels. There are numerous examples of Jesus ministering to those in need, particularly those sick in body, mind or spirit. Christians living a life shaped by Christ's example, have devotedly undertaken this social ministry to others for centuries, as well as being supported themselves through the pastoral care of the priest, with their care of the soul and spirit.
Links are drawn between Jesus as the counsellor and the good shepherd. Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me — just as the Father knows me and I know the Father — and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10-14-15) Jesus is the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls (1 Peter 2:25). The Psalm 23 Shepherd develops a close, personal relationship with his “sheep” to guide them into green pastures and still waters, be with them in dark valleys, protect them, and empower them.
Everyday problems and individual life circumstances have probably not changed that dramatically throughout the centuries. Illness, poverty, war, breakdown of marriage and bereavement are still daily occurrences. However breakdown of family units and the increase of social isolation, loneliness and depression are increasing in a population that is living longer. Increasing numbers of people are becoming marginalised from society as a result of alcohol and drug use, often using it as a coping mechanism to block out traumatic life events or distract from the tortures of daily life.
As we move further into an age of austerity and deepening cuts in the statutory services that were introduced to support the vulnerable in our society, the function of the church to minister to those in need in the community is increasing, albeit in an era where actual numbers attending churches are declining and where church communities are left struggling to maintain large buildings with limited resources.
Social mission and outreach programmes have always been central functions of the church to reach out to those in need within our communities, to those who are in the midst of difficult life events and feel let down by society and the services that should be there to support them. However as services are being cut and waiting lists grow longer, people are being left in limbo, waiting, often sinking further into depression and looking for ways to numb their pain.
Current psychotherapeutic based services are straining under cuts, people are being passed from service to service and waiting list to waiting list to try and access the support they require to help them work through complex issues. When lucky enough to find a service, sessions are often limited to a short series of counselling sessions, which to all intent and purpose, opens the wound and then puts a temporary bandage on it.
All Souls has been fortunate to have been blessed with a member of our congregation being a psychotherapeutic counsellor, and who has offered her time and energy as her ministry, to develop our 'All Souls Counselling Service'. We are now able to offer a Person Centred Counselling Service to members of the local community and beyond, to compliment the Pastoral Care given by our clergy to our Parishioners.
Members of the Church Community also volunteer their time to chaperone, to ensure the safety of both Counsellor and Client.
The District Church Council worked with our counsellor over the summer of 2016 and piloted the 'All Souls Counselling Service' in September 2016 and the service has been such a success that there is always a waiting list of clients, and the service also operated during the Covid Pandemic by telephone.
We currently are able to accommodate 3 individuals a week for counselling sessions at no cost.
Unlike statutory services these sessions are for an extended period of 20 weeks, hopefully allowing for a better quality experience for the users of our service and real exploration and resolution of their issues. Should they need further intevention, people are able to rejoin the waiting list.
Feedback has been extremely positive, with a recent individual able to say that they felt they were able to move on from our service, which was a first for them.
Of course this ministry has a significant impact on our small congregation, both financially in order to light and heat our cold and draughty under-croft area and pay for the supervision that our counsellor requires, but also in the provision of a person on a weekly basis to meet and greet people and ensure there is a second person in the building for safety reasons.
If you feel that you would like to contribute either financially to ensure the long term viability of our project, or by joining our 'meet and greet' team, please speak to one of our churchwardens.
We see the glory of Jesus’ counselling ministry within the Gospels. There are numerous examples of Jesus ministering to those in need, particularly those sick in body, mind or spirit. Christians living a life shaped by Christ's example, have devotedly undertaken this social ministry to others for centuries, as well as being supported themselves through the pastoral care of the priest, with their care of the soul and spirit.
Links are drawn between Jesus as the counsellor and the good shepherd. Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me — just as the Father knows me and I know the Father — and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10-14-15) Jesus is the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls (1 Peter 2:25). The Psalm 23 Shepherd develops a close, personal relationship with his “sheep” to guide them into green pastures and still waters, be with them in dark valleys, protect them, and empower them.
Everyday problems and individual life circumstances have probably not changed that dramatically throughout the centuries. Illness, poverty, war, breakdown of marriage and bereavement are still daily occurrences. However breakdown of family units and the increase of social isolation, loneliness and depression are increasing in a population that is living longer. Increasing numbers of people are becoming marginalised from society as a result of alcohol and drug use, often using it as a coping mechanism to block out traumatic life events or distract from the tortures of daily life.
As we move further into an age of austerity and deepening cuts in the statutory services that were introduced to support the vulnerable in our society, the function of the church to minister to those in need in the community is increasing, albeit in an era where actual numbers attending churches are declining and where church communities are left struggling to maintain large buildings with limited resources.
Social mission and outreach programmes have always been central functions of the church to reach out to those in need within our communities, to those who are in the midst of difficult life events and feel let down by society and the services that should be there to support them. However as services are being cut and waiting lists grow longer, people are being left in limbo, waiting, often sinking further into depression and looking for ways to numb their pain.
Current psychotherapeutic based services are straining under cuts, people are being passed from service to service and waiting list to waiting list to try and access the support they require to help them work through complex issues. When lucky enough to find a service, sessions are often limited to a short series of counselling sessions, which to all intent and purpose, opens the wound and then puts a temporary bandage on it.
All Souls has been fortunate to have been blessed with a member of our congregation being a psychotherapeutic counsellor, and who has offered her time and energy as her ministry, to develop our 'All Souls Counselling Service'. We are now able to offer a Person Centred Counselling Service to members of the local community and beyond, to compliment the Pastoral Care given by our clergy to our Parishioners.
Members of the Church Community also volunteer their time to chaperone, to ensure the safety of both Counsellor and Client.
The District Church Council worked with our counsellor over the summer of 2016 and piloted the 'All Souls Counselling Service' in September 2016 and the service has been such a success that there is always a waiting list of clients, and the service also operated during the Covid Pandemic by telephone.
We currently are able to accommodate 3 individuals a week for counselling sessions at no cost.
Unlike statutory services these sessions are for an extended period of 20 weeks, hopefully allowing for a better quality experience for the users of our service and real exploration and resolution of their issues. Should they need further intevention, people are able to rejoin the waiting list.
Feedback has been extremely positive, with a recent individual able to say that they felt they were able to move on from our service, which was a first for them.
Of course this ministry has a significant impact on our small congregation, both financially in order to light and heat our cold and draughty under-croft area and pay for the supervision that our counsellor requires, but also in the provision of a person on a weekly basis to meet and greet people and ensure there is a second person in the building for safety reasons.
If you feel that you would like to contribute either financially to ensure the long term viability of our project, or by joining our 'meet and greet' team, please speak to one of our churchwardens.