Pastoral Care

Your spiritual well-being and emotional state matter to us. Please know that we’re available for you whether you need prayer, spiritual guidance or emotional support. In addition, check out the info below for tips and resources that will help you when it comes to maintaining and enhancing your self-care.

If you would like more info or if you’re interested in scheduling an appointment, kindly email PastoralCare@ChristChurchUSA.org or call 973-783-1010 (ext. 341). Please note, that while our Pastoral Care team does everything in its power to help those who come to us in need, due to our limited resources, certain aspects of our ministry are limited to Christ Church members. However, we make every effort to provide alternatives to nonmembers if this situation arises.

Healing School

The School of the Holy Spirit is presenting The Healing School. This interactive and insightful virtual course is for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of Jesus’ ministry of healing and it will activate you to pray for others in an impactful way! Online classes will be held on the following Saturdays in October:

Healing School Schedule:
October 2, 9, 23 & 30
Saturdays: 9:00am - 12:30pm

Ready to register? Click below to begin!

REGISTER FOR HEALING SCHOOL

Pastoral Care Blog

Please enjoy our mental health series that deals with common challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Tips on Mental Health & Self-Care During COVID-19

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By Ron Gonzalez, M.P.S.
Counseling Pastor of Christ Church

Over the last 20 years of my service as a pastor, I have never seen the level of disruption and chaos present itself in peoples’ lives as I have seen with the COVID-19 pandemic.

READ MORE & WATCH VIDEO
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Maintaining Healthy Relationships During COVID-19

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By Deborah Foulkes-Bert, Ph.D.
Health Care Professional

Many of you live in areas where you have to drive, and sometimes you go on road trips where you expect to encounter rough terrain. If you take care of your vehicle— checking...

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HOW TO DEAL WITH LOSS & GRIEF DURING COVID-19

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By Vanetta Hill, MA
Advanced Grief Recovery Method Specialist

How are you? No really, how are you doing? The pandemic has many feeling isolated, disconnected and lonely. Many have even…

READ MORE & WATCH VIDEO

External Resources

Work-Life balance

Finding a healthy work-life balance isn't easy, but it's critically important to your overall well-being. Check out the link below to learn four practical ways to get the work-life balance you deserve.

LEARN MORE

Mental Health

Click the link below to see a list of local and national mental health resources. Qualified and certified people are standing by at these agencies to help you or someone you know.

RESOURCE LIST

Care Groups

Our Care Groups, which are currently available online only, are designed to encourage you and help facilitate your healing process. We also want you to know about some available resources that could be helpful to you or a loved one during a time of need. Take a look below to learn more.

Care Groups
Resources

Spiritual Guidance

Pastoral Care is focused on helping people—who are experiencing personal, marital and spiritual challenges—overcome their struggles using Biblically-based practices. The staff is comprised of lay Christians; individual and group sessions are available through appointment.

Chaplaincy Ministry

The Christ Church Chaplaincy Ministry provides emotional and spiritual care to those in need within the congregation’s membership during serious illness, high-risk pregnancy, loss of a loved one, homelessness, divorce and other life-altering events.

Funerals

Pastoral Care provides compassionate support to those dealing with the pain of losing a loved one. The team is trained to not only help with the grieving and healing process, but to assist with the planning of funeral and memorial services as well.

How to Plan a Funeral

How to Plan Your Everafter

Baby Dedications

Dedicating your baby is a public testimony of your intent to raise your child in the Christian faith, with the hope that he or she will one day make a personal commitment to Christ as their Savior. Dedications are held on the fourth Sunday of each month, at the last scheduled Sunday service. Parents and guardians who want to have their child dedicated must attend a pre-dedication class. To begin the process, simply click here to fill out the Baby Dedication Application Form.

Marriage Enrichment

Is your marriage in need of a tune-up? Do you and your spouse want to build a stronger, healthier relationship?

If this seems like you, Christ Church offers ENRICH, a marriage enrichment program designed to help married couples build a more satisfying relationship.

What are the major goals of the ENRICH program?

The program helps couples:

  • Explore strength and growth areas
  • Strengthen communication skills
  • Identify and manage major stressors

Is there a cost for the ENRICH Program?

Yes, there is a minimal one-time cost for the initial inventory.

Sessions led by trained facilitators are available by appointment through Pastoral Care. Currently, the program is only available to active Christ Church members.

Financial Coaching

Are you facing financial hardship or struggling to make ends meet? Or perhaps you need a strategy for eliminating debt, or creating a budget for yourself or family? If any of this applies to you, then you are a candidate for financial coaching. Trained and certified individuals are available by appointment to assist in better financial management, practical suggestions for budgeting and assistance in prioritizing long-term financial objectives. Click below to learn more.

FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT

Guided Prayer

What is Guided Prayer?

Guided Prayer is an inner-healing ministry of Christ Church and a resource for people who desire to reach their full potential.

  • Guided Prayer is NOT counseling, it IS prayer ministry that is Christ-centered, Bible-based and Holy Spirit-led.
  • Through encounters with God and His Truth, many people experience significant breakthrough in specific areas of need.

Who is eligible to receive it?

  • Do you experience strong emotions that seem out of place?
  • Do you struggle with anger, fear, anxiety, panic, phobias?

Private sessions are offered with a trained prayer facilitator and a team of intercessors. Appointments are approximately 1–2 hours in length.

Water Baptism

If you’re interested in getting baptized, or just curious, you are on the right track. Baptism literally means to be immersed in water. It is a physical act of obedience by which a person identifies himself or herself with Jesus’ death, burial and Resurrection.

Click below for more info or to register.

LEARN MORE & REGISTER

Referrals to Outside Agencies/Ministries

The Pastoral Care department’s goal is to connect people with resources and/or resource providers in the community when the current need and situation is outside of Christ Church’s ability to fully meet it. A comprehensive database is maintained of organizations and ministries that provide assistance to individuals and families related to the following needs:

    • Alpha Omega Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT)
    Christ Church’s Alpha Omega Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) is an official “Hotline Team” according to the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF).

    The team is poised to serve anyone that may be in need of crisis intervention, also referred to as “psychological first aid,” in the immediate aftermath of a crisis, trauma or disaster. We can be contacted anytime at 973-783-1010 (ext. 340) or via email at pastoralcare@christchurchusa.org.

    We are also listed on the ICISF website at https://icisf.org/cism-team-listings/ under “CISM Support.”

  • Food banks
  • Professional counseling
  • Treatment programs