Pastoral Care
At times of distress and bereavement, personal contact and a listening ear can bring comfort. St Peter’s Church offers help and support to people who are facing serious illness or dealing with grief, and we hope that no-one in our community should have to face these problems alone.
Everyone is welcome to contact us, even if you are not a regular churchgoer.
Visits
The clergy are always happy to undertake visits in the community. Please contact the Rector to arrange a convenient time for a visit.
St Peter’s clergy are supported by the Pastoral Care Network. This is a group of trained volunteers who offer home visits and provide a listening ear. Sometimes we work with elderly people who are no longer able to get to Church and feel cut off from the St Peter’s community. The Pastoral Care team visit on a regular basis to help people to feel that they have not been forgotten and that they are loved.
Younger people also experience feelings of loneliness and isolation, and they may feel unable to talk to their peers. Pastoral Care volunteers can sometimes help by offering a listening ear – it can help just to unburden to someone who is not close and who is prepared to listen.
Bereavement support
There is a regular Grief and Loss Support Group which offers support and friendship to anyone who has been bereaved, whether recently or a few years ago. The group meets for a friendly, informal lunch at 12:30pm on the first Wednesday of the month, usually at the White Horse pub in Bourne End. Please contact our volunteers to confirm the time of the next lunch.
Can you volunteer?
At St Peter’s Berkhamsted we believe in showing our Christian calling to love our neighbour.
The St Peter’s Pastoral Care Network is a group of people who have been trained to recognise and respond to need as it occurs, mainly by visiting and providing a listening ear. Our group welcomes new volunteers and we provide training. If you feel you would be able to bring listening skills to our group, please get in touch with one of the group members listed below.
All that we do is strictly confidential. The group of volunteers meets monthly for mutual support and periodically arrange training sessions. Some of our members attend an annual conference on different aspects of bereavement.