The CARE Program is about a congregation’s desire to provide professional counselling for any person, couple or family that needs help in their congregation. Check with your church to see if they participate in this program and how you can access it.
Why do we CARE?
Part of the church’s mandate is to care for one another in practical ways. The “start” of the diaconate in Acts, where widows were to be assisted illustrates the need to support one another in the challenges life brings. In the twenty-first century we recognize that along with needs such as food, clothing, and housing, humans also have psychological/emotional needs. When a person is depressed, anxious, having relational difficulties at home or work, struggling with harmful habits, coping with the effects of abuse, these struggles affect that person’s effectiveness as a partner, an employee or employer, and as a parent. Sometimes, it is an act of faithfulness to acknowledge our need for assistance from a professional.
We want to encourage congregations to model wholeness. As places where justice and mercy reside, congregations can be places that support equal access to helpful services.
C – Congregation – Congregations are communities of care and concern. People of every age, race and socioeconomic advantage attend our churches. Each one brings areas of giftedness and also woundedness.
A – Assisted – As churches, we help one another. We have a long history of pulling together, to raise barns and sew quilts. Nowadays we have other ways of helping each other.
R – Restore – Emotional distress and mental illness can tear down parts of people that might otherwise function adequately. The person who is suffering may have difficulty maintaining an adequate level of responsibility at home, at work, at church. People in distress get irritable more quickly, struggle in relationships, and their self-esteem may get very low. One of the goals of counselling is to restore a person to the best level she is capable of. Restoration is such a beautiful picture of how God helps us, through Jesus, and the people of God, to be restored to the fullest expression of the image of God.
E – Enrich – There are important moments in each person’s life that are milestones of growth and development. Some of these are starting school, becoming adolescent, becoming adult, finding a life partner, having children, empty nest, aging, grieving the loss of loved ones. Others are imposed on or chosen by a person, like starting school, divorce, diagnosis of an illness, tragic accidents or suicide. In all these circumstances a person can find their usual coping abilities taxed. Counselling starts with a person’s strengths and abilities, and builds on these for further growth and development.
We would be pleased to tell you more about our CARE Program and invite you to ask for information, brochures, or to give us feedback about our service.
To make an appointment through the CARE Program in Winnipeg, Altona, Winkler, Steinbach or Portage la Prairie, call our central intake line at 204-477-4673 or toll free 866-493-6202.