There are three sides to the Pastoral Care that the Church provides:

1) The Pastoral Care Team

The Team officially consists of 15 members, who meet regularly on the 4th Wednesday of the month to review the list of church contacts requiring assistance of any sort. We are blessed in having many other people within our congregation, who give unstintingly of their time, to care for neighbours and friends. This helps to spread the load, and we are very appreciative of all that they do, for the church family, as well as the wider community.

We have an invaluable list of resources for Disabled Support in Cyprus, which is constantly being reviewed and up-dated. We also have a limited stock of disability aids stored in the church hall and three wheelchairs.

The Church publishes a Helpline, which has contact names and telephone numbers for the different areas of Paphos. It includes the Church Transport Co-ordinator, who can arrange lifts to church, and the Helpline is circulated to members of all three churches.

On average we have about forty people requiring pastoral care and we keep in touch with them regularly, either by telephoning or visiting. Their needs are varied and variable, but all are most appreciative of the attention that they receive. Occasionally our care extends to holidaymakers, if they are unfortunate enough to find themselves in difficulties, while staying in the Paphos area. The parable of the Good Samaritan provides us with an example which cannot be ignored.

2) The Hospital and Clinic Visiting Team

The Reverend Roy Kilford first began the Pastoral Group in 1996. It had three aims – one to look after the needy in our Parish, the second to have a telephone prayer chain and the third for Clinic visiting.

As our church and the community of Paphos grew, it became obvious to make three different teams under different co-ordinators.

The purpose of the Clinic and Hospital visitors is to visit, with Christian love, those who are ill, lending a sympathetic ear to their problems, fears and in some cases loneliness. The visitors take to distribute magazines and books which have been given by people from the Church and also Paphos residents.

Two years ago the Latin Community, who hold Services in Ayia Kyriaki, asked whether they could join our visiting teams to the six Hospitals and Clinics. We were delighted to have them with us.

There is also a hospital visiting team serving the Polis area. Their area stretches as far as Yiolou and Kathikas to the South of Polis and in the North as far as Kato Pyrgos. The team is based at St. Luke's Church, Prodromi and the volunteers are members of both the Anglican and Community Churches who worship there. The team are able to visit patients who are admitted to either the Polis General Hospital or the private Polis Medical Centre. The team also have a directory of contacts for useful resources and those offering services locally. This information can be made available to help both English speaking residents and visitors should they be admitted to hospital or become unwell at home.

3) The Prayer Chain

The Prayer Chain consists of a group of people who meet once a month to pray together for those who need healing, and whose names have been received through a variety of sources.

Names are received, by the Prayer Chain Coordinator, either by phone or via the Pastoral Care Team, who before and after each Sunday Service are on duty waiting to receive any person’s name who is sick, and/or feel the need for some extra prayers; it must be stressed that the sick person’s permission is always sought before their name is placed on the Prayer Chain list. Names are also received through personal contact.

The Prayer Chain is not simply about Church members, but anyone who feels that they are in need of prayer. Also, they do not necessarily have to be living in Cyprus.

There are around 50 names on the list at present, and as well as the monthly Prayer Chain Meeting they are remembered by the Prayer Chain members in their private daily devotions.

To contact anyone regarding any of the above please see the Contact Page.