HIS Hands Ministries

HIS Hands Coordinator—Rev. Dale Rawlings (864.940.1742 / Office 585.4186 Ext. 311)

The Coordinator works with the Co-coordinator to facilitate the monthly meetings and provide oversight of the myriad of ministries that HIS Hands provide.

HIS Hands Co-coordinator—Harriet Moxley 

The co-coordinator records and maintains the minutes of the monthly meetings of the leadership team. The co-coordinator sends notices of upcoming activities and reports to the Missions & Ministries Commission. The budget is monitored by the co-coordinator who, with input from the leadership team, prepares the budget requests and submits them to M&M Commission.

Hospital Visitation—Betty Gonda (579.0356)

Volunteers follow-up with patients or their families 2-3 days after their procedures or hospitalizations for short visits and to see if there are any needs that HIS Hands can provide.  If the patient is in ICU or other circumstances where a visit might not be helpful, a volunteer calls the family and inquires of health status and offers assistance from HIS Hands.

Home Visitation—Mary Susan Gregory (426.8195)

The Home Visitation Ministry is an outreach to our members and friends of WPC need home visits due to recent hospitalizations or ongoing health concerns.  Volunteers are emailed a list monthly of those in need of visits for that month.  They are asked to visit as many or as few people as they feel comfortable. The visits are at the convenience of the volunteers anytime during the month.  Volunteers are asked to communicate back who they have visited and any needs they become aware of during their visits.  The leads for persons needing visits come from the ministerial staff and the Hospital Visiting Team.

Prayer Blanket Ministry—Miriam Clark (579.4232), Connie Gosnell

Two members of our church select fabric, sew, press, and attach notes to beautiful blankets.  The notes explain that each blanket has been prayed over in the Sanctuary at Sabbath Moments for comfort and healing for the recipient.  The blankets are hand delivered to people in need at home, in the hospital, in a nursing facility, wherever they may be.

Circle of Meals—Lynn Gilliland (864) 909-3003); Olivia Allen (Meals for New Parents)

The Circle of Meals is the organized system by which meals are delivered to families experiencing a need. The coordinator follows up with concerns on the prayer list that is sent out to HIS Hands, the prayer page in the church bulletin, and emails. When a need has been confirmed, she contacts family/person listed to inquire if a meal would be helpful to them and if so a day and time is set. The coordinator then contacts the next group in the Circle of Meals by email or phone to see if they can help with this need. If not, the next group is contacted to enlist their help. The group providing the meal is responsible for delivering the meal. The coordinator takes care to address any food/allergy issues the family may have. If for any reason, no group is able to provide a meal at the chosen time, the coordinator will provide the meal, using casseroles and other dishes in the HIS Hands freezer.

HIS Hands Freezer Coordinator—Connie Gosnell (577.0582/415.5901)

The coordinator of the HIS Hands freezer monitors the use of the food in the freezer to be sure it is adequately stocked and contents are not out of date. At least twice a year, the coordinator organizes “Bake and Serve,” a congregation-wide food drive, to fill the freezer with casseroles, side dishes, desserts, etc. The coordinator provides aluminum pans and some suggested recipes for members to pick up, fill the pans and return them to the church.

Parish Nurse—Judith McGrath, RN (583.9745)

The Parish Nurse is available as a resource to our membership, serving in a variety of roles. She serves as a health educator, personal health counselor, and referral agent. She acts as a facilitator of volunteers and developer of support groups. She serves as a health advocate, working with those involved to serve the best interest of the patient. She is an integrator of faith and health, promoting the relationship between the two.

Adults Partnering in Prayer—Cissy Bankhead (806.570.3543)

The Senior Pastor initiates the bi-monthly prayer topics. The WPC Administrative Assistant prepares cards and mailing labels and then contacts the volunteer coordinators for pick-up. The volunteers then assign a prayer partner for each member who has asked to be a part of this ministry. Prayer cards including the name and phone number for each prayer partner are prepared every two months. The volunteers are responsible for running the prayer cards through the postage meter and placing them in outgoing mail.

Prayer Request Email Ministry—Dale Rawlings (864.940.1742/Office 585.4186 Ext. 311/dale@wpcspartanburg.org) and Lydia Johnston (582.8814/621.7974)

The purpose of the Prayer Request Email Ministry is to communicate accurately and efficiently the prayer concerns of our WPC family.  The coordinators receive, compose, send and maintain the prayer requests. The coordinators ensure that permission from the one on whose behalf the prayers are being raised has been given.

Upon receiving a request for prayer, the coordinators of this ministry will compose and send the request through the church website to the members on the Prayer Request Ministry List. They are also responsible for maintaining the Cumulative and Ongoing Prayer Concerns, which is sent via the church website to the Prayer Request Ministry List on Monday mornings. The Church Bulletin Prayer Page is a concise version of the Cumulative and Ongoing Prayer Concerns and is printed weekly in church bulletins.

Seasonal Greeting Cards—Barbara Spencer (621.1713)

Original seasonal greeting cards are sent as an outreach to all active and inactive members as well as frequent visitors. The coordinator of this ministry oversees their design, printing, and mailing. Cards are designed to share God’s love for His people.

Card Ministry— Connie Gosnell (577.0582/415.5901)

The card ministry coordinator sends a card to anyone who:

1. has lost a family member in death;
2. is ill, having surgery and/or is hospitalized;
3. has a family member who is ill, having surgery and/or is hospitalized;
4. needs encouragement; and/or
5. has had a new baby or grandchild.

The coordinator also maintains a list of deaths and sends cards to our members on the anniversaries of the deaths of their loved ones for three years for the loss of a child, for two years for the loss of a spouse and for one year for the loss of a parent. The coordinator uses the cards from our church that were designed by Pat Jennings. They are signed, “From your WPC Family,” and the return address on these envelopes is the church address.

Transportation—Beth Wolfe and Becky Manatis (582.9988)

Any church member who does not have transportation to and from doctor visits, church services, etc. can contact the coordinator of our transportation team for assistance.

Bereavement Hospitality—Harriet Moxley (579.7136), Julie McCraw (579.3631)

The Bereavement Hospitality coordinators are responsible for providing the church’s response to the passing of one of its covenant partners, or an individual who is being served by WPC and is the family member of a covenant partner.  With every attention to the needs and desires of the family, the coordinators and their ministry team provide a family meal or reception at the church or at the home. 

Handyman—________________________ (no current team leader)

The purpose of the Handyman ministry is to do home maintenance and other small jobs for our church members who need assistance.

Technology Coordinator—Julie McCraw (579.3631/621.7081)

The Technology Coordinator assists members of the HIS Hands Ministry in creating and posting events, prayers, needs, photos, etc. for the HIS Hands Group within Realm.  In addition, the Technology Coordinator is the liaison to the webmaster verifying that HIS Hands information is up-to-date on the church website.