Dear People of St. Columba's,

 

I am delighted to let you know that  Susan Laing  has joined the staff as pastoral assistant. Susan will be working 20 hours a week to support our pastoral care team and help make sure our many liturgies go smoothly. 

Susan came to St. Columba's with her family in the mid-1970s and has held many ministry leadership roles over the years. Most recently she was instrumental in starting "Stirring the Waters: A Racial Justice Ministry." She served from 1999-2013 as academic coordinator for our long running STEP ministry (St. Columba's-Truesdell Education Partnership) where we sponsored a class of "Dreamers" from their time at Truesdell Elementary School until they graduated from college. Her role went far beyond what the title implies, however. Susan says, " I often met with Dreamers one-on-one, especially as they navigated their high school years, sometimes to advise them on issues they were struggling with and other times just to listen. And I think that's one of the things I learned about pastoral care--the importance of really listening to and empathizing with someone."

 

Susan's caring and empathetic presence will be a great blessing to our pastoral care ministries. She will be one of the points of contact for pastoral concerns, along with Susan Flanders, Amy Molina-Moore and other members of clergy and staff.  If you have a prayer request or other pastoral concern, you can email Susan directly or call the office and ask to be connected. 

 

Other ways to reach our pastoral care team include:

Peace! Ledlie