The Rev
. Dr. Barbara Welch has developed a project to help pastors and spiritual leaders care for and guide their congregations through the realities of coping during this time of COVID-19. That project, COVID-19 Shelter-in-Place, Guided Resources for Pastors/Spiritual Leaders: At Home Liturgy of Grief and Soul Care is introduced here for your adaption and use.
. Dr. Barbara Welch has developed a project to help pastors and spiritual leaders care for and guide their congregations through the realities of coping during this time of COVID-19. That project, COVID-19 Shelter-in-Place, Guided Resources for Pastors/Spiritual Leaders: At Home Liturgy of Grief and Soul Care is introduced here for your adaption and use.Rev. Welch focuses on specific ways that we can help people now during this time of separation and crisis. She offers these resources to IMN to share, hoping simply that our members will be able to use them to help those who are in need because of loss and separation. The documents may be altered and adjusted to meet your specific needs and faith tradition. Barbara is a Protestant minister, so she created a Christian model that may be changed and used to meet your needs.
The Rev. Dr. Barbara Welch has served for over twenty-five years in crisis care ministries. Dr. Welch earned her Master of Divinity/Theology & Arts degree and Doctor of Ministry degree from Andover Newton Theological School, now known as Andover Newton at Yale. She was awarded a certificate for Excellence in Preaching from her seminary. She is certified in Child Theology through Godly Play. She was given a World Changer Award by a major church denomination for her substance abuse ministry. She has served as a church consultant for conflict resolution as well as an Interim Minister Specialist; she served as an on-staff interfaith chaplain for death and dying at Boston Children’s Hospital; she created and published a church and community outreach program for substance abuse called: Horizons of Hope a Substance Abuse Church and Community Outreach Program. She is an author, speaker, pastor artist/illustrator, creative writer and creative liturgist. She served as South Eastern Regional Spiritual Director for a major, for profit nationwide hospice program overseeing some 29 care facilities.
Dr. Welch brings an authentic voice to her writings because she is a survivor of child abuse and knows, firsthand, some of the complexities of a wounded mind, body and spirit. Her ministry specialty is for those who have been wounded and who have turned to substances as coping mechanism. She helped to write and earn a US federal Grant of $625,000.00 renewable every five years for substance addiction and community outreach.