Faithful Innovation: Worship and Care

Worship and Care for Residents at Local Senior Communities

Episcopal Church of the Epiphany in Plymouth, Minnesota has been engaged in ministry with the residents of nearby senior living communities for over ten years! Lay leaders and clergy work together at Northridge Residence and Trillium Woods to bring participatory worship, friendship, and a listening ear to residents who are in the final decades of their lives, and desire communion with God and others. Below you can read more about these ministries thanks to two dedicated lay leaders, Virginia Debner and Jim Ervin.

Virginia Debner, Northridge Residence

It grew, and it grew, and it grew. Outreach to Northridge Residence, an assisted living facility near Church of the Epiphany, has been in existence for more than 10 years. It started with a priest and deacon leading services, and lay people attending to come alongside the Northridge residents. As the years passed, the leadership of this ministry changed. Three lay leaders joined a priest and deacon in leading the services. One lay leader anoints anyone desiring to be anointed, and afterward hugs are administered. One of the most poignant moments was an activity assistant reporting how moved she was when a long-time attendee and lifelong Episcopalian received anointing the day of her death. Birthdays are celebrated with singing and flowers. Service leaders are invited to the Senior Prom and a wedding by residents. Great conversations happen because a word or a phrase that speak to us after the Gospel has been read is shared (the spiritual practice of Dwelling in the Word). Care, compassion, and joy are shared in additional prayers voiced during the Prayers of the People, and thanksgivings during a time of thanksgiving before the Eucharist. Communion is taken to regulars unable to attend the service due to illness or a time of transition in rehab. One longtime Epiphany members who now resides in Northridge with her spouse is the outreach ambassador. She invites people to come and worship with us. Wonderful friendships are made and the gifts of all are shared and appreciated. Our latest gift is an additional accompaniment for the altar.

Jim Ervin, Trillium Woods

Trillium Woods is a continuing care retirement community in Plymouth. Early in the fall of 2024, The Rev. Lisa White Smith initiated discussions about holding mid-week Eucharist services at Trillium. There are several independent living residents at Trillium Woods who belong to Epiphany, and they expressed interest in having those services. Those discussions resulted in our current schedule of Eucharist services at 10:30 on the mornings of the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month. The services are led by lay and ordained leaders.

We have averaged 8-10 folks for each service, occasionally including an Epiphany member  who lives nearby. We welcome all who seek God to our service of communion, reflection and conversation. On occasion, the celebrant and a lay assistant have taken communion to folks in our skilled nursing residence. The vast majority of our independent living residents maintain an active presence at their regular parish. However, those who come on Wednesdays are very grateful. One reported recently, “these services mean the world to my husband and me.” Another member, whose wife had died recently and who is in the skilled nursing facility, was comfortable relating a story about a friend who had taken some of his deceased wife’s favorite clothes and made a teddy bear for him to keep by his side.  

Our campus will grow soon with new independent living units and expanded assisted living and memory care residences. This will offer an opportunity to expand our group. 

The Rev. Blair Pogue, D.Min.
Canon for Innovation 
blair.p@episcopalmn.org