Care Ministries
Grief Support Group
Thursdays 6-7:30pm | Sept. 26 – Nov. 21 | Room 222
McFarlin’s Care Ministries would like to give you an opportunity to express your grief in a supportive setting with others who have experienced grief as well. This year we will dive into the study “Beyond the Broken Heart” by Julie Yarbrough. All are welcome.
Please RSVP to Stephanie Miller at smiller@mcfarlinumc.org or call 405-321-3484, ext. 115.
To pass on a care concern, scroll down and fill out a Care Inquiry Form or reach out to Stephanie Miller.
See our Senior Adult Ministry page for details. Click Here
Congregational Care Ministers are lay volunteers trained to provide caring, consistent contacts to members of our church in need of care for as long as the need exists.
We reach out to those especially needing acute care in times of crisis; care during bereavement; care before, during and after a birth or adoption; those hospitalized and aftercare for patients and their families; and recovery/adjustment care for persons and their families dealing with long-term illness or injury, divorce, marital separation, or loss of a job.
These caring contacts may be in the form of personal visits, phone calls, or written notes.
Find help and healing for the hurt of separation and divorce. Individuals are welcome to begin attending at any time during the three month cycle of sessions.
Go to the website, DivorceCare website to search for locations of current sessions in the OKC area including those held at McFarlin UMC..
When a death occurs, please contact Daphne Fix, Pastoral Assistant (dfix@mcfarlinumc.org) to arrange for a service at the church, or to arrange for a pastor to preside at the service at another location.
The date, time and location of the service should be decided before contacting a funeral home in order to avoid personnel and building conflicts. Services at the church may be scheduled Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Our pastors meet with the family to plan the service before officiating at funeral services, memorial services and graveside services. Planning guides for preparing for services with or without the use of a funeral home are available here:
Grief support is provided by personal contacts from McFarlin’s Congregational Care Ministers (CCMs). The church also sends our members four separate Journeying through Grief booklets over the course of the first year following the loss of a spouse, child or parent. Each book describes the issues and feelings that people tend to encounter at various points during their grief and offers suggestions on how to handle them. For more information, please contact Director of Care Ministries at the church by phone or send an email to smiller@mcfarlinumc.org.
Our hope is that each congregational member and constituent who becomes a patient at one of Norman’s hospitals receives a weekday visit from a representative of the church to acknowledge the church’s concern to them as they recover from an illness, injury or surgery.
Please contact Director of Care Ministries when you become a patient or are aware of another member of our church family who has been admitted to the hospital so that we may arrange a visit.
McFarlin’s Care Ministries through the resources of church volunteers offers meals to families who have suffered the loss of a loved one either served at the church before or after the funeral or memorial service, or delivered to the home. We also offer a reception of cookies and punch for those attending a funeral or memorial service.
In addition, meals are delivered to individuals and families suffering from illness or injury, for those recovering from surgery and to families with new babies. Meals taken to homes consist of a main entree, side vegetable, salad, bread, and dessert. It is not possible for this ministry to accommodate all special dietary needs and requests.
The bereavement meals/receptions and meals taken to homes are arranged through the individual’s Congregational Care Minister (CCM) or by direct contact with Director of Care Ministries.
Our pastors are available to meet individually with congregational members for spiritual development and in preparation for marriage and baptism. Please contact Daphne Fix, Pastoral Assistant (dfix@mcfarlinumc.org) to arrange an appointment with one of our pastors.
In times of crisis and/or when death is near, our pastors are honored to come and provide comfort through scripture and prayer. Please contact Director of Care Ministries by phone or email (smiller@mcfarlinumc.org) to arrange a pastoral visit.
For those unable to attend worship any longer, pastors and laity are willing to visit in homes and facilities to serve the sacrament. Please contact the church office and speak to Director of Care Ministries to arrange for this type of visitation.
The shawls, scarves and lap blankets created by McFarlin’s knitters and crocheters are reminders of God’s love for each of us and “his promise that nothing in all of life can ever separate us from Him.” Our prayer shawl volunteers knit and crochet beautiful shawls, lap blankets, and scarves and as they do, they weave into each prayers of hope, peace, healing and love for those who will receive them.
The created items are donated to McFarlin’s “Comfort Closet” and members may come by to choose a shawl, scarf or blanket for anyone who may need comfort during illness or grief, upon entering a senior adult facility, going through one of life’s trials, and for times of joy and celebration such as a birth, baptism, graduation or marriage.
The Prayer Shawl Ministry volunteers meet on the second Sunday of each month sharing stories of providing shawls to those in need, relaying expressions of appreciations received, and blessing those shawls and scarves completed during the month. Knitting/crochet circles meet bi-monthly for fellowship. For more information on the dates and times of these meetings, please contact Director of Care Ministries (smiller@mcfarlinumc.org).
We depend on the power of prayer to help us with the trials, tribulations and important decisions we encounter throughout our lives. If you need others in your McFarlin Family of Faith to intercede in prayer for you or someone you care about, please take advantage of several ways available to request prayer.
- Place a completed Prayer Request Card in the prayer box located in the Second Floor Foyer.
- During worship services, you may complete one of the prayer request cards available and place in the offering plate.
- To request prayer from McFarlin’s Prayer Chain, please email your request to Stephanie Miller at smiller@mcfarlinumc.org. Your request will be relayed to the individuals who serve on the Prayer Chain and these many voices will be added to your own to praise our Lord for blessings received or lift up a prayer of concern.
See our Senior Adult Ministry page for details. Click Here