Members of Woodfords Congregational Church, U.C.C., may call upon their pastors for short-term crisis counseling in the midst of life’s challenges and transitions.  The Rev. Carolyn Lambert may be reached through the church office (774-8243). No fee is charged for these pastoral services to church members.

In addition, the church has a staff member, the Rev. Dr. Donald Hodgson, who has specialized his ministry in pastoral counseling.  He is licensed by the state of Maine as a Pastoral Counselor and as a Clinical Professional Counselor, and he is certified by the American Association of Pastoral Counselors as Fellow. This mental health outreach ministry of the church is available on a fee for service basis. Some insurances will provide reimbursement for these services. Appointments may be made by calling the church office (774-8203). As a mental health ministry, pastoral counseling is a form of therapy or counseling in which a pastoral counselor, as a representative of our religious tradition and community, uses the insights and principles of religion, theology and behavioral sciences in working with individuals, couples and families toward the achievement of wholeness and health. An important ingredient which makes pastoral counseling different from other forms of counseling and psychotherapy is the conviction that life’s crises and transitions are best met by both the wisdom of religious teachings and the knowledge and skills of the human sciences such as psychiatry and psychology. If a person chooses to draw upon spiritual resources for healing, our pastoral counselor seeks to understand and to draw upon each person’s religious perspective as a therapeutic resource.

Lay Ministry
 
Another way we care for our Woodfords community is through our Lay Ministry program. Trained and supervised by the Rev. Dr. Donald Hodgson, our Lay Ministers offer loving and compassionate support to Woodfords members during times of need. Lay ministers visit shut-ins and hospital patients, serve as a connection between the home-bound and the church, and help the pastoral staff to meet the spiritual needs of that population.