Pastoral Care
Pastoral care is an important part of St. Alban’s life, both inside our walls and in the community. St Alban’s is serious about the ministry of caring for our neighbors. Our congregation has discerned and raised four people to the vocational diaconate and three people to the priesthood. We have another entering seminary in the fall of 2020. For those unable to attend church, the Lay Eucharistic Ministers take them Communion as requested.
Social justice, servant ministry, physical accessibility, diversity, and creation care are all part of St. Alban’s identity. In the last decade the parish has become more serious about outreach and has raised and donated almost $100,000 for community needs and to national and international service organizations. We remain open to what the Holy Spirit has in store for us in the future.
Throughout the school year we support students at Wicomico High School, our public - faith partner school. We donate school supplies, toiletries, gently used clothes, new hats, gloves and socks, along with non-perishables to the school’s food pantry, which has served as many as 70 students during the cold months of December and January.
For over two decades St. Alban’s parishioners have prepared and served lunch at Joseph House, a local resource center for the poor and homeless, on the first Wednesday of the month. We serve an average of 70 people. Monies collected on the Sunday before, along with Advent and Lenten lunches donations, help support this mission.
During the winter for the past several years, a group of volunteers joined with other churches to take turns preparing and serving dinner for homeless men staying at the cold-weather shelter housed at St. Peter's Episcopal Church. They serve about 30 men. St. Alban’s volunteers also serve at this temporary shelter during the night.
We volunteer with the Chesapeake Housing Ministry to construct two ramps annually, one in the spring and one in the fall. This ministry builds ramps for individuals with mobility issues who are in need. Not only is St. Alban's a faith partner with Wicomico High School, we also support Salisbury Middle School at Christmas with donations of (unwrapped) gifts from which the students pick for family that are then wrapped by our volunteers.
St. Alban’s actively supports Agape Ministries, which reaches out to children of incarcerated parents. We sponsor and host several events for these children throughout the year, including their participation in a week-long summer camp. Bookbags filled with school supplies are distributed to them prior to the beginning of the school year. They gather each year in our Parish Hall for a big Christmas party.
Lay Ministries for Worship at St. Alban’s
St. Alban’s welcomes parishioners who are called to participate in the following lay leadership roles during worship.
Lectors
Lector is the title given to those who read the assigned Scriptures for the day. The Ministry of the Lector is to proclaim the Word of God by reading from both the Old and New Testament at church services throughout the year. A Lector may also lead the Prayers of the People. Lectors are scheduled to serve at both Sunday morning services. Lectors are not required to be licensed and anyone with a love of Scripture and a good speaking voice can be a Lector.
Licensed Lay Ministry at St. Alban’s
The following ministries require diocesan-sanctioned training for licensing.
Eucharistic Ministers
A Eucharistic Minister is a layperson authorized to administer the Consecrated Elements at a Celebration of Holy Eucharist. A Eucharistic Minister shall act under the direction of a Deacon, if any, or otherwise, the Member of the Clergy or other leader exercising oversight of the congregation or other community of faith.
A Eucharistic Minister is licensed by the Bishop to administer the consecrated elements in public worship
Eucharistic Visitors
A Eucharistic Visitor is a layperson who has experience as a Eucharistic Minister and has participated in additional training for this ministry. A Eucharistic Visitor, licensed by the Bishop, is authorized to take the Consecrated Elements in a timely manner following a Celebration of Holy Eucharist to members of the congregation who, by reason of illness or infirmity, were unable to be present at the Celebration. A Eucharistic Visitor acts under the direction of a Deacon, if any, the member of the Clergy or other leader exercising oversight of the congregation or other community of faith.
Worship Leader:
The licensed worship leader is authorized to lead public worship in the absence of, and/or at the direction of a priest, subject to the Book of Common Prayer. A licensed worship leader is a confirmed adult communicant in good standing called to lead worship in the congregation, trained, and licensed.
Notes:
- Examples of worship services led by this leader include:
- Morning and Evening Prayer
- An Order of Service for Noonday
- Compline
- The Great Litany
- Reconciliation of a Penitent
- Ministration to the Sick
- Ministration at the Time of Death*
- Burial of the Dead*
- Advent Festival of Lessons and Music
- Christmas Festival of Lessons and Music
*in emergency situations, at the direction of a priest.
- Examples of public spaces include churches, hospitals, prisons, and other institutions.
If a homily is delivered be a worship leader, it must a prepared, approved sermon from resources such as “Sermons that Work” or other approved source. If the worship leader writes a sermon, it must be prepared ahead of time and approved by the parish clergy.
From the Canons of the Episcopal Church
Title III: Canon 4: Of Licensed Ministries Sec.
1 (a) A confirmed communicant in good standing or, in extraordinary circumstances, subject to guidelines established by the Bishop, a communicant in good standing, may be licensed by the Ecclesiastical Authority to serve as Pastoral Leader, Worship Leader, Preacher, Eucharistic Minister, Eucharistic Visitor, Evangelist, or Catechist. Requirements and guidelines for the selection, training, continuing education, and deployment of such persons, and the duration of licenses shall be established by the Bishop in consultation with the Commission on Ministry.