The ‘Quiet’ Ministry

Greetings Friends,

Have you ever considered what makes a ministry effective? Is something effective because it serves a lot of people in the greater community? Is something effective because it creates lasting memories for those in the church? Is something effective because it teaches people new things about God? The truth is that all of these things can show you that a ministry is great. Different ministries are going to have different ways of being effective because of what they are intended to do.

We, St. Mark’s, have many ministries that are effective in different ways. One ministry at St. Mark’s does not get spoken about too much, and a piece of that is by design. This is our Counselor-In-Residence Program. This longstanding ministry of the church partners with mental health professionals to help us provide quality mental health services to our community and to the greater community around us.

As a pastor, I love that we have this ministry as part of our community because mental health is such a vital part of our overall spiritual, emotional, and physical health. I know I can send people in distress within our community to people that I know and trust for help when the need goes beyond what I am qualified to help with. I know that people can receive one-on-one counseling, participate in our grief support group, or get a referral to yet more help, if need be, from our counselors.

This ministry is undergoing a new and exciting change. We are welcoming a second Counselor-In-Residence into this program for the first time in its history! Through COVID we have had the services of Dr. Susan Proebsting, and she is staying with the ministry part-time, but we are adding a full-time counselor to the team. This Sunday in worship you will have the opportunity to meet our new full-time Counselor-in-Residence, Dr. Liesl Scalzitti, for yourself.

Dr. Scalzitti comes to us as a recent transplant to the Tucson area from California. As of the beginning of March her practice is housed at the Wesley House on the west side of the St. Mark’s campus. Dr. Scalzitti has a passion for helping people through some of the more-challenging things that life can throw at them. This shows in her approach to her work, where she strives to create a supportive partnership with her clients. To quote Dr. Scalzitti, she encourages her clients “to explore, dig deep and eventually come to answers of your own that make sense and guide you in the direction of healing within.”

So please come meet Dr. Scalzitti this Sunday as we move into this exciting new chapter of our Counselor-in-Residence ministry.

Many Blessings,
Pastor Stuart
Associate Pastor
Pastoral Liaison to the Counselor-in-Residence Program

This week’s pastoral Lenten video can be found here.

 

WORSHIP SCHEDULE
(Masks are encouraged and are required for singing.)
Join us for worship:

• 8:30 a.m. Traditional service with choirs in Sanctuary and child care in Rm 15
• 10 a.m. Modern worship service with Praise Team in Fellowship Hall
• 10 a.m. Traditional service with choirs in Sanctuary
• 10 a.m. Youth and children’s Sunday School and child care
• 10 a.m. Livestream premieres on YouTube and Website

To access our livestream service:

• From the main menu on our website click “Worship.”  -OR-
• Go to YouTube and search for UMC St. Mark’s Oro Valley or use this link.