CARING FOR ALL CREATION
Nurturing care and compassion for God’s creation.
I have made Pastoral Care a priority since I began serving a First Congregational United Church of Christ as an authorized lay minister. Over the past year, I have created a lay pastoral care curriculum as the Called to Care program from the United Church of Christ was not available. At first, this seemed very overwhelming, however I have been able to customize training topics to the specific issues our congregation is dealing with at this time. Similar to many congregations, the population at First Congregational United Church of Christ is aging. We have several members in the congregation this year who have revealed that they are in the early stages of Alzheimer's/ Dementia. I am bivocational in that I am also a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist working in assisted living and nursing homes. I often treat patients with different kinds of dementia and offer their caregivers education in order to help their loved one live as independently as possible. My knowledge base has assisted in creating a church and worship environment that works to reduce the stigma and promote the inclusion of individuals suffering from dementia and other brain disorders.
We recently hosted a "Memories Matter" Inservice and I invited a colleague to present. It was very well received and has prompted discussion about continued in-services that could potentially lead to congregation members being able to provide respite care. Several of our members who are facing the diagnosis of early stage dementia are involved in the music program. One of our members came to the point where she was unable to participate in choir any longer due to increased confusion and distraction. Our office administrator (who also has a background in dementia care) and myself worked with this member and the music director on adaptations so that she could successfully sing a solo during the church service. It was beautiful and brought tears to many eyes.
We recently hosted a "Memories Matter" Inservice and I invited a colleague to present. It was very well received and has prompted discussion about continued in-services that could potentially lead to congregation members being able to provide respite care. Several of our members who are facing the diagnosis of early stage dementia are involved in the music program. One of our members came to the point where she was unable to participate in choir any longer due to increased confusion and distraction. Our office administrator (who also has a background in dementia care) and myself worked with this member and the music director on adaptations so that she could successfully sing a solo during the church service. It was beautiful and brought tears to many eyes.
Maintaining a basic understanding of mental health and wellness.
Practicing self-care and life balance.
I find humor in many things, and through humor I find hope. Physical activity is very important to me. I infuse my yoga classes with my faith and my sense of humor. I also run regularly as a way to process my thoughts and emotions and clear my mind. I have been a regular in therapy for several years but invest a lot of energy into my friendships and relationships. I have a wide variety of interests. I also enjoy bartending and attending live music events with my fiancé and my friends. My social connections help me maintain life balance.
I find humor in many things, and through humor I find hope. Physical activity is very important to me. I infuse my yoga classes with my faith and my sense of humor. I also run regularly as a way to process my thoughts and emotions and clear my mind. I have been a regular in therapy for several years but invest a lot of energy into my friendships and relationships. I have a wide variety of interests. I also enjoy bartending and attending live music events with my fiancé and my friends. My social connections help me maintain life balance.
Providing hope and healing to a hurting world.
It has always amazed me how ministry bleeds into my other vocation as a Speech Language Pathologist. When I was working as a Speech Language Pathologist, I worked in the first nursing home in Dubuque, Iowa impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. All but 5 residents in this nursing home were infected and we lost 27 residents. Spiritual leaders were not allowed into the nursing home. We had four therapy staff members (formally 20) still working. When the facility discovered that I was an MID with a background in ministry, they asked me to clock out of Speech Therapy and into Spiritual Care in order to provide a desperately needed prayer and a spiritual presence during this tragic time. I had experience in administering blessed communion but no experience in chaplaincy and so I immediately contacted Rev. Diane Grace who is a chaplain with Hospice of Dubuque. She was not allowed into any building and so she was grateful and immediately began mentoring me so that I could provide a spiritual presence to both patients and staff under her guidance and under the guidance of Rev. Dr. Lillian Daniel. This was one of the most challenging seasons of my ministry. I would write on a white board what I was praying to family members of a dying patient who were standing outside of a window that I was not allowed to open. I held the hand of patients as they were dying from Covid 19. I sat with residents locked in their rooms, alone and scared and read them scripture and prayed with them. I held space for distraught and overworked nursing staff and prayed over them.
Quote from Diane Grace
"I have had the distinct honor of working with Kaity, not only as her mentor, but also as a colleague in ministry. I met Kaity when she was a seminary student and I provided a presentation for one of her classes. She reached out to me to inquire about various aspects of her ministry career journey and ways in which she can grow and learn along the way. Throughout the Covid pandemic, Kaity was always searching for ways in which she could minister to those who were in the nursing home under difficult circumstances and who were unable to spend quality time with their loved ones face to face. During a time when I was unable to provide a funeral service that came up with very short notice, I reached out to Kaity and asked her to provide the funeral. She graciously accepted and did a phenomenal job and provided great comfort to the grieving family. Kaity is intelligent, witty and an incredible pastor. She is often pulled in many directions but she handles difficulty and challenges head on and provides care and compassion to all those she encounters, all while showing professionalism and expertise. I am honored to know Kaity as a friend, as a colleague and as a fellow servant in Christ." Regards, Rev. Dianne Grace, Chaplain at Hospice of Dubuque
Quote from Diane Grace
"I have had the distinct honor of working with Kaity, not only as her mentor, but also as a colleague in ministry. I met Kaity when she was a seminary student and I provided a presentation for one of her classes. She reached out to me to inquire about various aspects of her ministry career journey and ways in which she can grow and learn along the way. Throughout the Covid pandemic, Kaity was always searching for ways in which she could minister to those who were in the nursing home under difficult circumstances and who were unable to spend quality time with their loved ones face to face. During a time when I was unable to provide a funeral service that came up with very short notice, I reached out to Kaity and asked her to provide the funeral. She graciously accepted and did a phenomenal job and provided great comfort to the grieving family. Kaity is intelligent, witty and an incredible pastor. She is often pulled in many directions but she handles difficulty and challenges head on and provides care and compassion to all those she encounters, all while showing professionalism and expertise. I am honored to know Kaity as a friend, as a colleague and as a fellow servant in Christ." Regards, Rev. Dianne Grace, Chaplain at Hospice of Dubuque
Attending to one’s own spiritual and pastoral care, including engagement in supervision as appropriate.
I have several colleagues who I reach out to on a regular basis. I am part of the Dubuque Ministerium as well as a local women's clergy group. I participated in a MID spiritual direction group and I also had regular phone (often weekly) phone calls with ACM Kendy Miller. First Congregational UCC did not have a pastoral relations team so I did put an interim pastoral relations team in place based on information from my “A Sure Foundation” and from my interim ministry courses. I found that participating in CPW while serving a congregation was immensely helpful. I also see a counselor regularly and have been seeing her for several years.