ICU (Intercessory Care Units)

Recently someone stopped me in the hall to thank me for my prayer on her behalf. The interesting thing is that I didn’t actually pray with her personally. I prayed into her voice mail. My point is that prayer touches people; it doesn’t matter whether it is eloquent or fumbling, in person or a recorded message. It may be trite but it is true: Prayer does change things - within others, within the pray-er, and within God's Kingdom.


Intercessory Care Units are people who care enough to plead someone's case before God. The ICU ministry at Faith Church began in February of 2003. It's purpose was to "extend the pastoral care given by Faith Church to those in special need, beyond the resources of our Caring Ministry Pastor."


When Pastor Lehman designed the ICU Ministry he saw it as having 4 Essential Components represented by the letters HOPE.

* H - for Hear - Listening to what a person is saying about their life situation or active listening.
* O - for Observe - seek to understand what a person's needs are in order to encourage and help
* P - for Pray - Bring this person's needs before the Father and ask for divine wisdom, strength, and intervention.
* E - for Encourage - Speak words that increase a person's faith, hope and love in the midst of their life situation.
* R - for Enlist - Contact others or the Caring Ministries of Faith Church to get involved in meeting practical needs.

For 7 years, since that beginning in 2003 we have had an ICU Ministry team who have sought to bring HOPE to those without much hope in their lives.


Several years ago we tried to begin making ICU team visits to shut ins. That never got successfully off of the ground but recently we began a Shut-in Visitation ministry whereby some of our elderly or chronically ill are being visited by a pair of persons once ever 2-3 months. The team prays with them, offers communion to them and brings them flowers and cds of recent sermons. This has been a great encouragement to the shut-ins as well as to their families, and to the teams who visit them on a rotating basis. I am very excited about this ministry, facilitated by Marie Fehl.


Most people who are hospitalized are dismissed almost before we find out they are in the hospital. Usually either a member of the church staff, a Small Group or Home Church leader or Hugh Smith is the one most readily available for a hospital visit - made on short notice and often involving a drive down town.


This leaves the ICU ministry to call to pray with those who have asked for prayer. I have usually restricted these calls to those who currently attend our church and who are dealing with medical crises. We would love to expand the list to others dealing with grief, financial or job-related situations.


Are you interested in getting involved with this ministry or the Visitation ministry? Would you like more information about ICU? Call or comment back to me. I'd love to talk with you about it. Sometimes making a call to pray - especially with someone I don't know - is very difficult. The reward is inevitable! I have never not been blessed by the response in my own heart to a time of prayer with others. Join me!