CARE MINISTRIES
CARE MINISTRIES
The Care Ministries Team at Stanwich Church is an outreach to our congregation and community that answers God's call to 'love one another' by bearing one another's burdens and encouraging one another with emotional and spiritual support.
We seek to provide trusted resources and ministries to guide and encourage those who are navigating life’s transitions and need care. If you, or a loved one, is in need of care please email us at care@stanwichchurch.org.
CARE
We want to care for you in times of illness, injury, or recovery. Please do not hesitate to contact the church office if you, or a family member, is ill, in the hospital, having surgery, has given birth or has suffered an injury. We want to support, visit and pray with you. Our visitation team includes pastors and volunteers. If necessary, we can help to coordinate the provision of meals for a limited time.
To contact the pastor-on-call regarding a medical emergency or death, please call the church office (203-661-4420) and our receptionist will assist you. On evenings and weekends, please call the church office and listen to the message to transfer to the weekend emergency pastor on call.
Stanwich Church has hosted DivorceCare, an important Christian recovery program for many years. God has used it to bring significant healing and transformation to many lives and hearts. Read more here about DivorceCare's perspective.
13-week groups in Cos Cob are led by Mary Stacy, experienced Licensed Clinical Social Worker, groups leader, supervisor for marriage and family therapists, and member of Stanwich. $50 covers the curriculum and workbook (scholarship available).
Groups are open to anyone who is interested, feel free to invite others. Contact Mary for more information about current groups: mrystacy@optonline.net or (203) 869-8829.
COUNSELING & PASTORAL CARE
Life can be challenging. Relationships, stress, conflict, anxiety, and loss are all areas where care and counseling can be helpful. As a church, we want to help you walk through difficult times and grow in a positive direction. We offer pastoral care to members of Stanwich, as well as counseling referrals to Christian counselors through *The Greenwich Center for Hope and Renewal.
In early winter, we offer a Service of Remembrance and Hope for anyone who has experienced loss of any kind. We also hold events throughout the year for individuals who have experienced loss and grief.
Our pastors can be contacted at any time to meet and walk with you through life’s challenges.
*Stanwich has had a long standing relationship with Greenwich Center for Hope and Renewal, a leading faith-based professional counseling and resource center. GCHR provides a private, confidential setting for services, including counseling, interventions and renewal groups. Click below for a short video about the GCHR.
MILESTONES
At Stanwich Church, it is our ministry and privilege to join you in life and faith in Christ. As a congregation, we desire to celebrate with you in the joys of birth and marriage and to support you during the loss of a loved one.
Weddings
We consider it an honor to participate in the marriage ceremony of members and regular attenders here at Stanwich.
We are also open to people outside of our church family who want to be married at Stanwich. Anyone interested in having a wedding ceremony in the Stanwich sanctuary should contact Chelsea White, our Church Administrator, via email or by calling the church office at (203) 661-4420.
Funerals and Memorial Services
We consider it a blessing to hold funerals and memorial services here at Stanwich for members and non-members. Families may also choose to have a reception in our Fellowship Hall following the service. For more information, please contact the church office at 203-661-4420.
PRAYER
What is Prayer?
Prayer is ongoing conversation with God that involves both listening and speaking. We experience the need for prayer daily and for several reasons. In our daily lives, we can be assured through scripture, that whatever our circumstances or needs, God is attentive to people who seek Him through prayer.
Prayer Chain
Stanwich has a team of prayer "warriors", which includes our pastors and staff, who are committed to praying for the needs of our church family. All requests are considered confidential unless otherwise indicated. To have a request put on the prayer chain, you can call the church office (203) 661-4420, or email patricia@stanwichchurch.org
Inner Healing
In Luke 4:18, Jesus declares that He is uniquely anointed to bring healing to the broken places in people's hearts, to set captives free, and to lead prisoners into liberty. Jesus gives sight to the blind and brings restoration into people's lives. Discover how to experience this freedom and emotional healing through listening and inner-healing prayer. Sessions are completely confidential and the healing prayer team is trained and experienced. Appointments can be made to accommodate your schedule. For more information or to set up an appointment, please email prayer@stanwichchurch.org.
For information on prayer visit our page on prayer.
BAPTISM
Infant Baptism and Dedication
Covenant (or Infant) Baptism is the act of baptizing infants as a covenantal commitment of the whole family and congregation, acknowledging God’s sovereignty and the free gift of God’s grace. It is seen as a carry-over of the Old Testament tradition of circumcision, which was designed to mark children as belonging to God’s covenantal family:
In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. Colossians 2:11-12
The New Testament includes accounts of baptism being practiced as a family covenant, such as in Acts 16:15 and 1 Corinthians 1:16.
As a sign and seal of God’s grace, Covenant Baptism symbolically hems the child into God’s family of faith. Many families who baptize their infants encourage those children later to profess their faith publicly as an acceptance of their Infant Baptism. This often occurs at the culmination of the child’s Confirmation Class.
Believer's Baptism
Believer’s Baptism is the act of being submerged in water as an acknowledgment of and participation with God’s saving and transformative work in the person. (Acts 10:47-48 and Romans 6:1-4). It is an intentionally public ceremony: an outward sign of the inward working of God’s grace in a person’s life. According to Scripture, the effect of God’s grace on an individual is like being born again, with a new life and identity in Christ.
Jesus himself explained this concept in his conversation with Nicodemus:
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. John 3:3-5
This truth was confirmed in the early Church:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he [or she] is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17
Which is Correct?
Here at Stanwich Church, we acknowledge the Biblical basis for both types of baptism. If you have already been baptized as an infant, you may rededicate your baptismal vows as an adult. You may also dedicate your child in infancy so that later he or she may choose to do a Believer’s Baptism.
We encourage you to study the Scriptures individually or in your household, talk with the pastors, and pray about how God might be leading you in your understanding of this wonderful blessing called baptism.
To learn more about baptisms at Stanwich or for further information, please call 203-661-4420.