Monday, September 8, 2008

Attend the Care for the Caregivers Training, Sept. 10

Many of our Presbytery churches have planned mission trips to the areas devastated by the tornados and flooding. Volunteer teams usually report that upon arrival they see a noticeable degradation of emotional stability of the victims and their families as well as those coordinating the mission teams due to the severe stress of the situation. The pastoral care needs in these situations are more than all of the pastors in Iowa can provide. Most flood victims are in a state of mourning. Normally, when we have a loss, family and friends rally together in support on our behalf. In the case of a natural disaster of this magnitude, the entire community is in mourning, and the healing is a long, drawn-out process. So, we need to reach out to them in this time of need.

The Des Moines Presbytery and PC(USA)’s Presbyterian Disaster Assistance are sponsoring a Care for the Caregivers Training to be held at the Presbytery Office, 2400 86th St., Suite #20, Urbandale, on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2008. Pastors, laypersons and mission coordinators are encouraged to sign up and attend this three-hour training from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., lunch will be provided.

The presenters for the training are Rev. Bruce Wismer, pastor of Pine Shores Presbyterian Church in Sarasota, FL; Meg Scott-Johnson, Kerrville, TX, a licensed clinical social worker, trained in Critical Incident Stress Management by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation and Trained Spiritual Director at the San Francisco Theological Seminary; and Rick Turner, of Greer, SC, who is trained as a Certified Pastoral Care Provider by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation.

This is an opportunity to help others with spirituality during crisis. If you are interested in attending, contact Betty Dyer at 515-276-4991 or pbydesmoines@qwestoffice.net with your contact information and how many will attend by Monday, Sept. 8. This will reserve your spot and lunch while giving us an exact number of attendees in case we need a larger venue for the training.

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