Pastoral Care

The Pastoral Care Ministry of Highland Park UMC is here to love and support the members of our congregation.  We believe as Christians we are to love God and to love our neighbor (Mark 12:29-31), and we are here to share in that ministry with you.  The Pastoral Care Ministry consists of staff members: Rev. Barbara Marcum (Pastoral Care director), Rev. Arville McLain, Rev. Bill Smith, Rev. Terry Jones and Mary Bishop.  Mary Moon coordinates Caring Connection, for We Care Ministry and Neighbor to Neighbor programs, and Cheryle Robbins is our administrative assistant.  Cheryl Vandiver is the director for the Health Ministry, VIP and Night Owls Program. 

We provide short-term pastoral care for members of our congregation who request counseling, and if long term care is needed, we can make referrals to licensed counselors.  Please call 214.523.2248 for more information.  We have established support groups for Healing Estranged Relationships (for mothers), Healing Estranged Relationships (for fathers), Grief Recovery Support, Spiritual Formation for Moms and New Moms gathering.   If you would like more information, please contact Pastoral Care at 214.523.2241 or pastoralcare@hpumc.org. For Divorce Recovery, please contact Jeanie Tillman at 214.523.2206 or tillmanj@hpumc.org.

Our Eucharistic Ministers take communion to members at home.  Pastors, Eucharistic Ministers and volunteers visit our members in the hospitals, nursing homes and at home.  Please call us if you or anyone you know in our church family is in the hospital.  We are training Stephens Ministry volunteers this Spring to help members going through difficult times in their lives, offering encouragement and a link to the church through phone calls and visits.

Our Caring Connection volunteers spread extra appreciation to members and their families by visiting, and delivering birthday flowers and gifts at Easter and Christmas.  The birthday flowers and gifts are a part of the We Care program coordinated by Mary Moon.  The Neighbor to Neighbor program helps our members meet other members within their neighborhood. For more information, please contact Mary Moon at 214.523.2245 or moonm@hpumc.org.

We have our blood bank with Carter Blood Care and anyone in our church family who needs blood can receive it from the HPUMC account with Carter at minimal cost.  Our church has blood drives three times a year.  Please call Terry Jones at 214.523.2118 or jonest@hpumc.org for more information.

Cheryl Vandiver is the director of the Health Ministry and the Night Owls Program.  Night Owls is a program for families of children with special needs. Once a month the special needs children and their siblings are provided a nurturing environment at the church with trained lay people so that parents can spend some worry-free time away. The Health Ministry also offers various health related ministries, including heart healthy seminars, and resources for health care professionals to offer their services to the church. We have established support groups for Cancer, Stroke and Heart related issues, Alcoholics Anonymous, Al Anon (Women) and Overeaters Anonymous.  Contact Cheryl at vandiverc@hpumc.org or  214.523.2209 for more information.  Our VIP (Violence Intervention Program) is administered by Candace Winslow. You can contact Candace at 214.523.2290 or winslowc@hpumc.org.   

Emergency or Crisis Calls
As persons within the congregation experience an immediate need for help, the Pastoral Care staff is available 24 hours a day. Ministers can be reached at the church during regular office hours. After 5:00 p.m., please call the church at 214.521.3111 and a recorded message will give you the telephone number of the emergency after hours phone.

Relationship Seminars
Engaged couples are invited and encouraged to take part in one of our one-morning seminars.  These seminars are scheduled three times a year, in, January, May and September. Call 214.523.2241 to register.

Other 4-week classes for engaged couples and marriage enrichment courses are offered several times a year through the Academy of Christian Studies. To register for those classes, call 214.523.2230.