As my daughter used to say, “Shrew!” We made it through Annual Conference! Thank you to those of you who stopped by the PCC display table and picked up information on the available services and resources through Pastoral Care and Counseling or through the Clergy Assistance Program.
Overwhelmed and need a low-cost/free place to get away for a few days? Connie’s Cottage is available for that. Need resources to help a congregant or family member? PCC’s Helpful Links (www.igrc.org/pcc_links) or Chestnut’s Work/Life website (https://chestnut.personaladvantage.com/ Password: igrc) is available to you for that need. Need someone to talk to? You can reach Shauna Summers, our Coordinator, at 309.241.4389 or shauna.r.summers@gmail.com or arrange for counseling or various types of consultations (ie: diet, exercise, financial) via the Clergy Assistance Program at 1.800.433.7916 or send a confidential email to: igrc@chestnut.org.
This year was the first Pastoral Care and Counseling-sponsored Spouse Event at Annual Conference. This year the event was limited to a few hours (1:00 - 4:00pm) on Thursday and Friday. Based on the feedback we received via the Clergy Spouse Survey we hope to make this available the entirety of Annual Conference with cookies each afternoon. Stay posted on next years’ plans by joining our private and closed Facebook group: IGRC Pastoral Care & Counseling specifically for clergy (active and retired), spouses (current and widowed), and PK’s. Laity are not allowed in this private, closed group so you can feel safe discussing the things that bother or perplex you with other clergy or clergy families who understand the same struggles.
Based on feedback received at the event we have created a private, closed IGRC Spouse Facebook Group that is moderated by a handful of Clergy Spouses. Be sure you have your Facebook setup to accept Messages from people you don’t know in case our Moderators need to ask you any questions before confirming your membership. We do want to ensure that only Clergy Spouses are in this group. We appreciate the role of laity in our clergy and their families lives, but this group is specifically designed to support Clergy Spouses in a confidential manner. Thank you for understanding.
The three winners of the PCC-sponsored Free Give-Aways were: Jessica LeCrone, Brenda Grimmett, and Stacy Smith! They all received a “Words of Faith” Adult Coloring book and either another Adult Coloring book, a Word Search book, or a game. Please Congratulate them if you know them - and be sure to begin or maintain some good self-care habits!