Support Groups and Classes

The following ministries are formed around regular classes, meetings or workshops that are designed to support or inspire. Most are headed by Lay leaders.

Alcoholics Anonymous

WHEN: 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., first and third Sunday of each month
WHERE: Coke Activities Room

This meeting is open to both men and women who desire to stop drinking. For more information, contact The Rev. Greg Pickens, [email protected].

Care Givers Support Group

WHEN: Mondays, 11 am to 12:30 p.m.
WHERE: Parlor
Led by Gayl Braymer

Care Givers Support Group provides support to those who have the responsibility of caring for a loved one. Our mission is to make resources available for all members who are in the role of care giving. Enrollment and questions: Contact Gayl Braymer, [email protected].

Centering Prayer Group

WHEN: Tuesdays, 10-10:30 a.m.
WHERE: Bishop Moore Chapel
Led by Shannon Callewart

Participants meet to engage in Centering Prayer. Come and sit in silence and simply wait on God who remains always with us but is often not sensed nor heard because of our noisy and busy lives. Join us and learn how to rest in God. Enrollment and Questions: [email protected].

Faith and Grief Gathering

WHEN: 12 Noon to 1 p.m., second Thursday of each month
WHERE: Coke Activities Room
COST: No charge for the luncheon, but donations are gratefully accepted
Led by Dru Francis
RSVP to www.faithandgrief.org or with [email protected].

This ministry specifically targets attendance by those who have lost a loved one to death, whether that death is recent or a long time ago. Acknowledging that grief has no time limit, our gathering provides a safe place to talk about one’s grief at the facilitated table discussions. All conversations are treated with the greatest confidentiality. Questions: contact Dru Francis, [email protected].

Parish Nurse Ministry

WHEN: 9:30 to 11 a.m., third Sunday of each month
WHERE: Nurse’s Station, South Lanai
Led by Diane Boyd, RN

The Saint Michael Parish Nurse Ministry is made up of professional Registered Nurses from our parish. Among other services, the Parish Nurses maintain a station in the South Lanai on the third Sunday of each month, taking blood pressures and providing information regarding the focus of health awareness for the month.
Questions: Contact Dianne Boyd, RN, [email protected].

Prayer Ministry

WHEN: 6 to 7:30 p.m., Third Thursday evenings – rotating formats, see below
WHERE:

• November 15: Speaker and dinner, Coke Activities Room
• December 5: Pastoral Care Advent Liturgy of Remembrance and Light, Saint Michael Chapel

COST: Dinner reservations $10, otherwise no fee
Led by Joan Faubion and Maria D’Antoni

These meetings are for the benefit of our various prayer ministries, but the invitation is always open to all in the church. RSVP and Questions: Joan Faubion,[email protected], or Maria D’Antoni, [email protected].

Prayer Shawl Knitting Ministry

WHEN: Tuesdays, 1 to 3 p.m.
WHERE: Drake Room
Led by Byrd Teague

To date, over 2360 prayer shawls have been knitted and distributed by the Saint Michael Prayer Shawl Knitting Ministry, extending the love of our parish to those who are hurting or ill. Each of these shawls is tagged with a label that identifies it as being knit with love at Saint Michael and a healing prayer is added. Each shawl is blessed by the clergy and by the entire congregation prior to distribution. Join us for camaraderie, prayers and the joy of knitting a message of love. Questions: Contact Byrd Teague, [email protected].

Praying Our Goodbyes

WHEN: 10-11:30 a.m., third Wednesday of the month (November date: November 28)
WHERE: Parlor
Led by The Rev. Dr. Hiltrude Nusser-Telfer

Praying our Goodbyes is a mourning and grief support ministry that addresses grief of any kind--such as a death, a job loss, a business, a home, or divorce. Utilizing readings from the book, “Praying Our Goodbyes” by Joyce Rupp, The Rev. Dr. Nusser-Telfer, helps those in attendance examine their grief and recognize it. All are losses that we grieve and we must grieve in order to recognize that loss. The Rev. Dr. Nusser-Telfer tells us “that for humans to shorten or circumvent the grieving process is to invite illness and even severe depression.” RSVP and Questions: [email protected].

Pre-Marriage Counseling Meetings

WHEN: watch for upcoming session dates
WHERE: Chapel Conference Room
Led by The Rev. Greg Pickens and Noralyn Pickens Ph.D.

This series is led by The Rev. Greg Pickens and Noralyn Pickens, Ph.D. and is offered during the Sunday School hour to prepare couples for marriage and their life together.

Registration: Assistant for Liturgy and Worship, Dianne Boyd, [email protected], See Weddings to review the details of scheduling a wedding at Saint Michael.

Questions: The Rev. Greg Pickens, [email protected]

Women's Cancer Support Group

WHEN: Mondays, 1:45 to 3 p.m.
WHERE: Parlor
Led by Sue Patton and Charlie Stobaugh

The Women’s Cancer Support Group is a long-term support system for information, referrals, feedback, and a feeling of safety, shared by other women who have experienced cancer and from those who are in the fight right now. A licensed professional counselor meets with the group weekly. Questions: Sue Patton, [email protected], or Charlie Stobaugh, [email protected].