Soul Friends Ministry

I love many things about Mulberry, but one of the true highlights of my time here has been getting out of the office and visiting people! When I began in July, Ted and I made sure that visiting all our homebound members was an immediate priority, and by the end of July, we had done just that! The hope was that we would be a blessing to them, but I mean it when I say that Ted and I were the ones who were immeasurably blessed by these visits! We both learned so much about Mulberry and Macon from these conversations, and for me personally, they helped me get better acquainted with the rich history of our church.

One of the other things I love about our visitation ministry is spending time together in prayer and sharing in Holy Communion. I have been incredibly moved by bringing the Lord’s Supper to our homebound members because, for many, it had been a long time since they had been able to partake in the sacrament. When we share together in the bread and wine (grape juice) it’s a reminder that Christ’s table extends to all places and that our members who may not be able to attend church on Communion Sundays are nonetheless still present with us at Christ’s table.

I also want to highlight the incredible work Onna (our Administrative Assistant) has put into our homebound ministry. Onna sends our shut-ins a weekly packet that includes the worship bulletin, printouts of the Scriptures and music, the church newsletter, and a copy of the sermon manuscript. She also, once a month, will throw in some extra goodies, like a bookmark she designed featuring some of her favorite Bible verses. If you ask her about this, she would tell you that it’s a way of keeping these members connected to what’s happening at Mulberry, and our homebound members greatly appreciate the TLC she throws into the packets!

If you are interested in serving our homebound members, I invite you to join our Soul Friends ministry! As the name suggests, a Soul Friend partners with one of our shut-ins and commits to regularly visit them. The hope is that, through visiting and communicating regularly, authentic friendships can develop! To express interest in joining, please email me at pstone@mulberrymethodist.org.

-Payton