Congregational Care Team
This year, MLUC’s care ministry deepened in scope and reach. From July 2025 through May 2026, our Care Team—including Rev. John Morehouse, Congregational Life Coordinator and Ministerial Intern Yvette McDonnell, and our Lay Chaplains—warmly supported more than 200 members of our community through pastoral care and companionship.
A significant milestone was the commissioning of our first Lay Chaplains. Tina Adams, Lloyd Cole, and Alan Scholl completed an intensive 25-hour Lay Pastoral Training and were commissioned on September 21, 2025. Sue Compton joined the team shortly after. Their presence has meaningfully expanded our capacity to show up for one another.
Two new programs took root this year. The New Moon Womyn’s Spiritual Circle launched in September and quickly found its footing, drawing more than 20 participants each month. And Lay Chaplain Sue Compton led a well-received three-part workshop called “Dying with Curiosity,” creating a rare and valuable space for our community to engage with end-of-life questions together.
Our community engagement work extended well beyond our walls. We ran an emergency food drive and month-long SNAP support campaign benefiting the Great Valley Food Cupboard in Devon. Through the Upper Main Line Interfaith Alliance, members strengthened bonds with neighboring faith communities, joining the Eid Celebration at the Islamic Society of Greater Valley Forge and worship at Or Shalom—deepening the relationships of understanding and solidarity that our values call us toward. We also collaborated with our Music Director and the Welcoming Committee to present MLUC’s first National Coming Out Day Service and Transgender Day of Remembrance observance.
The through-line of this year’s work has been a deepening of shared ministry—across staff roles, across lay leadership, and across our congregation and surrounding community.
Looking ahead, the goal is to continue expanding the shared ministry model within the Congregational Care Team, building the kind of distributed, sustainable care that can grow with the congregation.