[/column]

!NEW! ONE-DAY CONFERENCE !NEW!

Caregivers, Our Aging Loved Ones and Pastoral Care

Everyone ages from birth, however, at a certain time in our lives, we start struggling with what our society calls “aging”. The time when we notice that a lot of things are not going as easily anymore; when our vision and hearing starts declining and the time when we start getting age related illnesses; when we have to downsize, lose our driver’s license and maybe even move to assisted living or Long Term Care Facilities.

Aging does not only affect the aging person; it also affects their spouses and other loved ones. Your parents may be aging; moreover, they may struggle with their aging or you may struggle seeing their decline and your difficulty to help them in practical things and in making difficult decisions. Especially when one of them gets a disease that makes them dependent on their spouse and/or on their children for help and care. Caregivers have a difficult and busy task caring for themselves during their own aging or caring for their aging parents while having a job and taking care of a growing family at the same time.

Also church leaders; ministers as well as elders and deacons play an important role in the well being of those who age. Pastoral visits in which Church leaders guide the congregants in their aging by listening and supporting are very important for the spiritual well being of caregivers and their loved ones. 

Are you a caregiver or close to someone who needs help at home or is in a nursing home? Are you a pastor, elder or deacon with aging congregants who need pastoral care? A lot of things may change as people age.

On Saturday November 30, 2024, the Word and Spirit Institute together with Connecting Streams is organizing a conference for Church Leaders and Caregivers: 

“Caregivers, Our Aging Loved Ones and Pastoral Care” 

The aim of the conference is to support both caregivers in their struggles to help their loved ones either at home or in a nursing home as well as church leaders in their pastoral work with all caregivers (spouses/siblings as well as children) and also in the pastoral care for the aging loved ones.

Conference details:

Date: Saturday November 30, 2024

Time: 8:30 am registration; Conference: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Place: Covenant Canadian Reformed Church, 480 Woolverton Rd, Grimsby

Schedule:

8:30 – 9:00 Registration

9:00 – 9:30 Welcome/Devotional/Overview (Dr. Tom McCormick) Biblical norms and values with regards to the care of the elderly and vulnerable, and their caregivers will be pointed out and discussed

9:30 – 10:45 Session 1: Pastoral Care And Support For Our Aging Loved Ones

• • 20-30 minutes: Presentation Pastor Matthew VanLuik (Grace CanRC Brampton)

  • 20-30 minutes: Break-out Discussion in Small Groups

  • Session Recap

10:45 – 11:15 Refreshments

11:15 – 12:30 Session 2: Pastoral Care And Support For Caregivers

• • 20-30 minutes: presentation Dr. Tom McCormick (Chaplain in the GTA)

  • 20-30 minutes: Testimonies of Caregivers and their experiences

  • Session Recap

12:30 – 1:30 Lunch

1:30 – 3:00 Session 3: Issues Relating To Grieving, Death And Dying

• • 20-30 minutes: presentation Rick Ludwig

  • 20-30 minutes: q/a about session 3

Panel Discussion: What is going well & opportunities for improvement

Throughout the day, a literature and resource table will be available

A light lunch and refreshments will be served

 

Registration:

There is a 2-step process to register

1. Please fill out our registration form by clicking HERE

2. E-transfer your registration fee (see below) to: wsinstitute@outlook.com

If you are interested, but the registration fee is preventing you from attending, please e-mail us at wsinstitute@outlook.com and we will contact you to discuss a suitable fee.

Registration Fees:

Individual registration: $50.00 (including lunch/refreshments); $40.00 (without lunch)

Groups of 5 or more: $40.00 (including lunch/refreshments); $30.00 (without lunch)

Students/seniors: $40.00 (including lunch/refreshments); $30.00 (without lunch)

Note: If you have any dietary restrictions, please notify us on the registration form.

 

Did you forget to register or are you unable to register and pay online? No problem, walk-ins with payment at the door are welcome!

 

The Organizers

This conference is offered to you by:

The Word and Spirit Institute is an initiative of Grace Canadian Reformed Church in Brampton to assist those seeking spiritual growth through Biblical Studies at certificate, BA or MA levels as well as conferences; surf through our website to find more information about the Word and Spirit Institute. 

Connecting streams seeks to equip and mobilize churches to help vulnerable groups in the society by connecting the churches with each other and with the vulnerable. Click HERE for more information about Connecting Streams. 

Coming Early Spring 2025: Music in Worship

Stay tuned for the next course in the Leadership program. The course “Music in Worship” will be taught by Frank Ezinga.

This course will approach music from a Scriptural perspective, considering the origin of music, the place and purpose of music in worship, and review music in the cultural context. The four classes in this course will be helpful in evaluating music matters in a church setting. This course does not deal with the technical aspects, but with the worship aspects of music. The course is suitable for anyone who wants to widen their perspective of worship.