Community & Pastoral Care

We all have times when we need support – someone to listen, be present and accompany us through crisis or transition. At First Parish, we are committed to accompanying one another through life’s ups and downs, joys and sorrows. Loving our neighbors through these thresholds can look like practical support (a meal or ride) and/or spiritual support (presence or prayer). We offer a variety of ministries, forming a strong web of pastoral and congregational care.

Pastoral Care is a holistic model of emotional, spiritual, and social support for all stages of life. Our theologically trained ministry staff (Nate, Kit and Sarah) collaboratively share in the ministry of pastoral care and are available for visits and conversations (in-person, phone or Zoom) by appointment. Email or call a minister directly to set up a time, or reach out via our administrator, Silvia.

Any time you have a pastoral emergency (sudden illness, death, other critical incident) you are invited to let your ministers know (via email, cell phone, and/or via the church office). But you don’t need an urgent dilemma to seek pastoral connection! Pastoral care conversations can span topics from grief and death, faith and theology, gender and sexual identity, vocation, work and retirement, parenting, partnering, separating, and beyond. We love to work together with you to make meaning from your experiences, make decisions, and find liberating ways of understanding your life and your sense of God or Spirit amidst it all.

Office Hours: Our pastors also host occasional office hours at local cafes, open to all (for time/location, check the First Parish calendar and Staying Connected weekly emails). This is a good time for 1:1 conversation and prayer about whatever is on your mind/heart/spirit, and/or time to connect with others gathered and crowdsource your spiritual needs amidst community.

Kit, Nate and Sarah also regularly rotate visiting the retirement community at The Commons where many First Parish members and friends reside. Look for monthly Conversations at the Commons, usually inspired by the monthly worship themes.

Committee members: Kim Buell (chair), Nancy Henderson, Barbara Leggat, Melinda Bruno-Smith, Rachel Mason, Kit Novotny, Margaret Olson, Barbara Slayter, Lynn Uhrich Smith, Susan Taylor

The Care Committee offers support to FPL members who are going through a major life event such as illness (sudden or chronic), accident, bereavement, and celebration. We also hope to provide care to those dealing with isolation, depression, and aging. Our Care Committee offers ongoing ministries of support, encouragement and connection: just calling to check-in; preparing and delivering meals; sending cards of support, concern, or celebration; taking flowers. Care is always offered and conducted with confidentiality and profound respect for the individual in need. If you are in need of care, are interested in helping with any of these ministries, or would just like more information, please contact Kim Buell, Care Committee Chair, or any of the ministers.

Listed here are some of the ministries nested under the Care Committee where you can find support and/or volunteer to provide encouragement to others:

Caring Companions are trained lay volunteers who are matched 1:1 to listen, pray, and hold sacred space for you. If you are interested in learning more about being paired with a Caring Companion (or being trained as one), please reach out to Rev. Kit at kit@fplincoln.org.

Learn More about Caring Companions: In 2025, we launched this pilot lay pastoral care program, inspired by similar models in sibling congregations, in which trained members of the congregation are available for confidential, nonjudgmental accompaniment and spiritual support, including offering prayer. If you are in a season of transition, stress or grief, feeling isolated or not as mobile as you once were, or find yourself in a time of spiritual searching, you might find a connection with a Caring Companion meaningful. Potential participants are carefully matched with a Caring Companion by the ministers. Companions are welcome to meet in person or virtually, anywhere from a one-off visit of support to connecting regularly for a period of several months. This might look like a series of visits in your home or at church or a cafe, walks in the woods, or phone calls or Zooms.

New baby? Loss of a loved one? Surgery or illness? Organized by Susan Taylor and her dedicated team of home cooks, these folks are responsible for dispatching coolers filled with nourishing meals on church members’ front steps in times of need — tangible expressions of mutual care. Dietary restrictions and privacy are always taken into account.

If you’d enjoy cooking at least a meal or two per year for someone in need, please consider joining the ranks of these heart-led gourmet helpers paying it forward! Sharing a meal from time-to-time is a tangible and flexible way to connect and serve the community, a deeply rewarding ministry for both givers and receivers.

Seasonal Plants: Our traditional delivery of Christmas poinsettias and Easter lilies to elders and those who could use additional support.

Senior Reception: We hope to continue offering regular points of connection for seniors, including an annual Senior Reception (geared for those 80+)

Adult Programming: A series around end-of-life preparation, addressing issues both pragmatic and spiritual; a recurring “Big Questions Book Club,” around big question around topics like loss, grief, renewal, human fragility and resilience, and aging;

Recent ministries have also included a “By-Your-Side Singers” group to sing at bedsides and accompany thresholds of illness and death.