How Can We Help?

How can we help?

Our Caring Community is all about how we can be of service to each other. This ministry is shared by our professional staff, lay leaders and teams, and potentially everyone who is part of First Unitarian. Here’s how we break it down:

    • Caring Ministry – meets short term, immediate needs
    • Pastoral Care – provides listening and support over a period of time
    • Minister – addresses acute issues

You can contact our Caring Ministry Coordinator at caring@ucdsm.org or 515-244-8603 ext. 108.

Another way that we support each other is through sharing of important milestones,  joys and concerns with each other.  Please see our Joys & Concerns page for more information.

Caring Ministry

There are many reasons you might need a bit of help now and then. Caring Ministry involves a broad group of volunteers who are ready to give you a hand with a variety of needs, such as:

  • New baby arrival – meals, mommy/daddy relief, baby quilt
  • Rides – to church (temporary basis only) or to the doctor
  • Meals – during illness or injury, new baby in the family, or in a time of distress
  • Household tasks – lawn care, housecleaning, etc. (temporary basis only)
  • Cards – when you might not want visitors, but an encouraging word or something humorous would be appreciated
  • Errands/shopping – to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus and to keep safe those in our community who are most vulnerable

If you need help please don’t hesitate to request assistance from our Caring Ministry Team.

Request Caring Assistance

Name
Best way to contact me:

And we always welcome new people who want to lend a hand to our church community members in need. If you would like to be included in our helper list, please let us know in the form below:

Provide Caring Assistance Sign-Up Form

"*" indicates required fields

Your Name*
I am interested in helping with:*
I'm available:*
Please list the dates / days of the week / times you are available to provide caring assistance.

If you have any questions, please contact our volunteer Caring Ministry Coordinator, Jude Cigrand at caring@ucdsm.org.

Pastoral Care

Mission: The Pastoral Care Team is to provide a ministry of support, hope, and caring so that no one in the congregation feels alone in difficult times in their life.

The Pastoral Care Team is a lay led ministry caring for the Congregation, members and friends alike. The Team works collaboratively with our Minister in order to expand the Congregation’s  pastoral care presence. The Minister serves in a mentoring role to the Team.

Pastoral Care Mission Statement

Our covenant to the congregation is to:

  • Hold in confidence what is shared with the Team;
  • Support those with difficult life transitions such as miscarriage, childbirth, adoption, divorce, blending families, addiction, dying, grieving, loss of job, acute or chronic physical and mental illness, adjustment to disability; gender identity, pandemic, dementia, surgery, chemo, etc.
  • Visit congregants who are home-bound, in a nursing home or hospital, or otherwise unable to participate in church functions;
  • Support caregivers;
  • Comfort the bereaved.

 

To contact the Pastoral Care, please email pastoralcareteam@ucdsm.org or contact a Team member:  Ann Mowery, chair; Ellen Taylor; Gene McCracken; and Laura Berardi.

Joys & Concerns

As a community, we care about your joys and your concerns, the news of significant personal challenges, successes, and milestones that impact your life. We invite you to share those with us in whatever way feels appropriate for you.

You can do that through the form below, or by contacting either our Caring Ministry Coordinator at caring@ucdsm.org or 515-344-4360, or our Pastoral Team Chair at pastoralcareteam@ucdsm.org.

Submit a Joy or Concern

"*" indicates required fields

If you are submitting a Joy/Concern on behalf of someone else:*
Your Name*
Check all that apply:*
Are you a member of the church?

Community Resources

Below, you will find a list of resources in the Des Moines area, and links to their websites for more information.

If you would like your community resource featured, or know of another resource that we should feature, please email the information to communications@ucdsm.org.