Last month, our community has lost three dear souls in barely more than three weeks – Dear Ones, Shirlee Morton, Marge Lorraine, and Joan Alger. Each one was a blow.
Yet I have been struck by how beautifully the whole church community cared for each of them. We were in close contact with them and their families up to their very last days – meeting in women’s groups, choir, Strong Bones; offering rides, meals, visits; sending cards, making calls; and more. Shirlee’s, Marge’s, and Joan’s children have all told me how much the church meant to their moms. We held all three of these smart, funny, active, kind women in ways that made the ends of their lives meaningful and engaged.
It gives me chills to know how tenderly we held each of them. It’s what we’re here for, and we don’t always realize how well we do it.
For the past several months a small group of people working to make some of this kind of care more concrete and manifest. They called themselves the Task Force on Helping Each Other, which pretty much sums it all up. They’ve recently unrolled five initiatives to address the needs of our community, especially folks who are older and/or live alone.
-
WARM LINE – Our Warm Line is now up and running. It’s a dedicated voicemail for people to leave a message about a concern or need (that’s not an emergency). A Pastoral Associate will return the call within 24 hours. The Pastoral Associates work with me to respond to pastoral needs of our church and offer a confidential, compassionate and listening presence. Just call the church main number and dial extension 102. Check out their page on the website here.
-
BUDDY SYSTEM – Do you live alone and want to join our Buddy System? Folks who live alone may feel safer having a “Calling Buddy” check in with them on a regular basis. If your buddy can’t reach you, they’ll have someone check in with you. We’ve already got a few buddies paired.
-
SKILLS EXHANGE PROGRAM – The UUCV community has many skills that can be shared with others. Our Skills Exchange Program will connect folks with, say, computer skills, handy-person services, tailoring skills, house and pet sitting with people who need them. This can be a no-fee barter system with folks trading skills, or a skill exchange that members pay for. Look for the easel in Berg Hall with a poster and blank forms.
-
LIFE CRISIS FORM – We’re also providing useful forms in case of emergency. You can get a Life Crisis Form that keeps emergency info on file with the church. You can fill it out on the church website here or as a hard copy. Your information will be secure, confidential and accessible only by Rev. Dana or her designated assistant.
-
FILE OF LIFE FORM – The File of Life is a personal medical home file for emergency first responders. It’s a card in a red plastic pocket listing emergency contacts, health issues, and insurance info. We’ve got files on hand in the church office for all who’d like one.
Questions about any of these programs? Email to Administrator Jennifer Luce – administrator@uuventura.org.
We are the village,
Rev. Dana
