A pastoral visiting team

In Ezekiel 34 God says “I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak.”  

It’s a section where God says he’s like a shepherd: feeding the whole flock with the Bible, searching for those far away, and caring for the struggling and weak.  We want to share God’s heart in all these.  

Forming a pastoral visiting team will especially help our care.  The truth is, over time we’ll each take stints of being injured and weak (spiritually or physically) and we want to take seriously our resposibility for each other, particularly those who are elderly or vulnerable.  

Much care happens automatically as we respond to each others troubles like a family. But sometimes someone gets overlooked, or needs support from more people, or over a long period.  And some people are gifted at pastoral care but lack confidence or knowledge of who to visit.  This is where having a formal visiting team should help.
 
How would it work? 
The team would meet for 45 minutes with Barnaby bi-weekly to pray through those struggling, have a little training, and plan some visits.  

We’re not offering counselling or trying to replace the care services.  The purpose of a visit is to pray with people, bring God’s truth (and perhaps the Lord's Supper), and offer some practical care and friendship.  Often we can’t solve problems but can lift people to the great Shepherd.  Some team members will be able to visit several people in a week, others just one.  Whatever the level of involvement, let's use this opportunity to care for, and support one another.