Blackwood Hills Cares: How Can We Help You?

Alive Health & Healing - Caring for body, mind and spirit

The Blackwood Hills Health Ministry is about caring for body, mind and spirit, and nurturing the growth toward wholeness in and through Jesus Christ.

We aim to promote individual and community health and well-being through education, counselling, pastoral support, resource and referral, care management services, using health professionals, pastoral nurses, and pastoral care volunteers.

What is health ministry?

Health ministry is modelled on Jesus' healing ministry, to help individuals and the community maintain physical, emotional, social and spiritual health, so they may have a `full and abundant life' (John 10:10).

The health ministry team are committed to caring for people holistically, helping each person achieve optimal well being during temporary, chronic or terminal phases of illness. We seek to assist the individual, the congregation and the community to achieve health and wholeness by attending to the physical, psychosocial and spiritual dimensions of each person.

Why is health ministry the church's work?

Health ministry is a practical response to Christ's invitation to serve our fellow human beings, as Jesus did. The principles and foundations of our practice are Biblical, demonstrating connections between faith and health. Many of the pre-conditions for health are present in a life lived in positive relationships with other people, the created environment, and with God. Health ministry seeks to nurture these conditions.

What services does the health ministry team provide?

Using the gifts, professional skills and expertise of members of our church community we will provide health promotion and education activities for all age groups, tailored to the needs of our community.

We will provide pastoral care and support services such as care giver relief, minor home help, home visits and other related activities on request. We aim to help people stay supported and connected to their faith community and loved ones. 'Faith by itself, if not accompanied by action is dead.' James 2:17

Healing Services

Healing Services occur every two months. We believe that people have all kinds of needs - physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. The services are times for reflection, confession, and contemplation. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, and readings, songs, and meditations are used to bring us into a heightened awareness of God's presence. People come to pray for themselves and others, and to be prayed for, as we look to God - the source of all healing.