Welcome to Care Connect Volunteer Training
Thank you for answering the call to serve through UPUMC Care Connect! Your willingness to share your time, compassion, and gifts helps make UPUMC a church family where we know and are known, feed and are fed, challenge and are challenged, and love and are loved.
This virtual training will introduce you to Care Connect, explain how the program works, provide important pastoral care guidance, and prepare you to serve in your chosen ministry.
Please complete the following four sections (1. Program Overview, 2. How it works, 3. Pastoral Care, 4. Service Area training) before beginning your volunteer service.
*Please allow approximately 30 minutes for the program overview, video, and ministry service-specific guidelines.
1. PROGRAM OVERVIEW
What Is Care Connect?
UPUMC Care Connect: Connecting People with Care, Compassion and Community is our strengthened, lay-led approach to Congregational Care.
We say strengthened because caring for one another is not new at UPUMC. Our members have always supported one another through life's challenges and celebrations. Care Connect builds on that tradition by connecting and coordinating the caring that is already happening.
The program provides a more intentional, holistic and coordinated approach to identifying needs, surrounding individuals and families with care, and maintaining support throughout their time of need.
Care Connect is also an important expression of UPUMC's Discipleship framework: Worship, Small Groups, Service, Generosity and Sharing Our Faith.
Caring for the Caregiver
An important part of Care Connect is caring for the caregiver. When someone is facing illness, recovery or another life challenge, family members and others providing daily support may also need encouragement, prayer, meals or respite.
Our goal is to recognize and support both the person experiencing the need and those caring for them.
Serving Through Care Connect
Care Connect offers eight areas of service, with flexible opportunities that allow volunteers to participate according to their interests, abilities and availability.
We believe that serving others is often as much a blessing to the volunteer as it is to the person receiving care.
The program is supported by four Care Coordinators and volunteer Service Leads who work together to connect members with appropriate care.
Care Coordinators
- Diane Brooks
- Pam Bush
- Janet Bustin
- Brooke Messer
Service Areas and Volunteer Leads
Service Area | Service Leads |
Prayer Ministry | Carmen Emery |
Card Writing | Ann Wiley |
Homebound Visitation | John Jenkins and Mary Tabor |
Hospital, Rehab and Skilled Nursing Visitation | George Pearson and Ann Parker |
Transportation | Phil Bush and Marshall Hodge |
Grief Support | Jill Fleming and Alecia Jenkins |
Joys and Celebrations | Elizabeth McQueen |
Meals | Nancy Jungman and Diane Brooks |
2. How Care Connect Works
Care Connect uses a coordinated process to ensure that requests are received, needs are understood, volunteers are connected with members, and appropriate follow-up takes place.
View Care Connect Process Flow Diagram HERE
The Care Connect Process
Step 1: A Care Request Is Received
A request for care may come through several channels:
- A call to the church information desk
- A phone call or email to a pastor or church staff member
- A referral from a Sunday School class, small group, friend or family member
- The online Care Request Form
- Prayer cards submitted at church
- Direct contact with a Care Coordinator
Step 2: A Care Coordinator Is Assigned
The Care Coordinators review the request and assign one Care Coordinator to serve as the primary point of contact throughout the care process.
Step 3: Needs and Privacy Preferences Are Assessed
The Care Coordinator contacts the individual or family to listen, understand immediate and ongoing needs, and determine what support would be helpful.
Importantly, the Care Coordinator also establishes the person's confidentiality and communication preferences, including what information may be shared and with whom.
Step 4: A Care Team Is Formed
The Care Coordinator works with the appropriate Service Leads to identify needed services and assemble a team of volunteers.
Whenever possible, volunteers are matched with people they already know through Sunday School classes, small groups, choir or other church relationships.
Step 5: Volunteers Receive Assignments
Service Leads contact volunteers, explain the requested service, provide relevant information and coordinate assignments.
Step 6: Volunteers Provide Care and Report Back
Volunteers carry out their assignments and report back to their Service Lead by email, sharing relevant observations, completed actions and any additional needs or concerns.
Step 7: Service Leads Update the Care Coordinator
Service Leads communicate volunteer updates to the assigned Care Coordinator, who maintains an overall understanding of the person's needs and care being provided.
Step 8: Care Is Documented and Followed Up
The Care Coordinator records appropriate information in the church's OneNote tracking system, monitors progress and coordinates additional follow-up as needed.
Remember: As a volunteer, your primary contact is your Service Lead. You are not expected to manage the entire care situation. Your role is to carry out your assignment compassionately and communicate what you learn.
3. Pastoral Care Guidance and Volunteer Expectations
https://www.upumc.org/file_download/606f5e25-c011-482e-aac8-e0dbe4e763cfCaring for another person is a ministry of presence. Often, the most meaningful thing we can offer is simply to listen, be present and remind someone that they are not alone.
Pastor Joe Stobaugh has prepared a video offering practical guidance for volunteers making homebound, hospital, rehabilitation or skilled nursing visits.
His insights also apply to many other Care Connect services, including delivering a meal, providing transportation or spending time with someone who needs encouragement.
READ THE LAY CARE VISITATION QUICK GUIDE HERE
All volunteers are encouraged to watch this video, regardless of their area of service.
READ: Lay Care Visitation Pointers HERE
Important Expectations for Every Volunteer
Respect Confidentiality
Information shared through Care Connect is personal and often sensitive. Share information only with your Service Lead or others specifically authorized as part of the care process. Do not discuss a person's circumstances with friends, other church members or small groups without permission.
Listen with Compassion
Be present, patient and attentive. Often, listening is more meaningful than offering advice or trying to solve a problem.
Respect Personal Boundaries
Follow the individual's preferences regarding visits, conversations, prayer and assistance. Do not offer medical, financial or other professional advice outside your role.
Follow Through on Commitments
If you accept an assignment, please complete it as agreed. If your availability changes, notify your Service Lead promptly so other arrangements can be made.
Communicate and Report Back
After completing your assignment, send a brief update to your Service Lead. Let them know the service was completed and share any additional needs or concerns that may require follow-up. Include only information necessary for coordinating care.
Know When to Ask for Help
You are not expected to handle every situation yourself. If a member needs additional assistance, requests pastoral support or raises a concern beyond your assignment, contact your Service Lead.
For an immediate medical or safety emergency, contact emergency services first.
4. Service Area Training and Resources
Each Care Connect ministry has its own guidelines and procedures.
Please review the detailed description and training materials for every service area in which you plan to volunteer by clicking your volunteer service area in yellow below.
These resources explain the purpose of the ministry, the volunteer's responsibilities, how services are delivered and what information should be reported following an assignment.
Thank You for Being Part of Care Connect!
Your willingness to serve helps bring to life what it means to be a church family.
Whether you write a card, offer a prayer, prepare a meal, provide transportation or spend time with someone who needs a friend, your acts of care make a difference.
And remember, Care Connect is not only about serving others. When you need care yourself, we hope you will allow your church family the privilege of caring for you.
Together, we are connecting people with care, compassion and community.
Training Completion
Once you have completed the four training sections, please submit your Care Training confirmation through the checkboxes below:
- Review the Program Overview and Care Connect Process.
- Watch Pastor Joe's Pastoral Care video and review the Lay Care Visitation Pointers.
- Read the descriptions and guidelines for your chosen service area or areas.
- Confirm that you understand the volunteer expectations, particularly confidentiality, communication and follow-up.
Thank you for serving through UPUMC Care Connect!
