Members of St. John’s Circle of Care are lay pastoral caregivers licensed to serve in the Episcopal Church of Minnesota. They are spiritually formed and commissioned to practice the Benedictine Spirituality and Pastoral Theology set forth by Community of Hope International.
Over the next couple of months, we’ll be introducing you to everyone in the Circle of Care so you can get to know them better: who they are, and what this ministry means to them.
Be sure to watch the videos for lots of fun question-and-answer moments in addition to reading the profiles written by the members!
Patty Byrne Pfalz
Click here to watch the video on YouTube.
I have been a member of St John’s for about 20 years. I serve on the Altar Guild and I organize the twice yearly food drives for Hallie Q Brown. I also ushered for several years.
I decided to join Circle of Care last year as I was leaving church one Sunday and feeling particularly part of a community that I am really proud of. I also felt loved. I wanted to share that with members of our church who are not able attend Sunday services or any of the wonderful events that are available to us. I wanted to bring that feeling of inclusion and love to our home bound members. I have found this very rewarding.
I play Mahjongg 1-2 times a week and I enjoy reading, sewing and all kinds of music.
David Bressoud
Click here to watch the video on YouTube.
My most prominent role at St. John’s is as your Treasurer, a challenge that I enjoy and that has taught me a lot about the workings and challenges of this parish. But the commitment that most enables me to express and build my faith has been to the Pastoral Care Ministry.
Jan and I started coming to St. John’s shortly after we moved to Western Avenue in 2017, but we only became aware of St. John’s Pastoral Care Ministry after Jan had entered hospice in November 2022. That winter we were extremely grateful for the monthly Eucharistic visits that enabled us to share directly in this community meal. It was also at this time that I began meeting regularly with Roger Wilson. Roger, Craig Lemming, Kathy Brown, and Holly Stoerker were then in the process of building a Circle of Care community within the Pastoral Care Ministry. It did not take much arm twisting for Roger to convince me to join.
I have found this to be a loving and supportive group of people engaged in a variety of ministries that support our parishioners as well as those beyond St. John’s. Our monthly meetings give us an opportunity to share and deepen our faith. And in addition, we are supported in small Circle of Care groups. I am in a group of four that meets monthly just to touch base on what is happening in our personal lives.
Eucharistic visits constitute only one of the Pastoral Care ministries, but it is one that I find particularly meaningful. The Eucharist has always been central to my understanding of my faith. The ability to share it with those unable to attend our services in person is a powerful way for me to witness my faith.