By The Rev. Dr. Carl Grosse

Our wonderful organist, George Hill, also volunteers at UT Medical Center. My day brightens when I go to visit someone and there’s George at the Information desk. He’s as good at tapping the keyboard and clicking the mouse to get me where I need to go, as he is at tapping the registers and pedals to help us worship the Lord. Recently, George let me know that UT is no longer giving out room information as a safety precaution. If I don’t know the room, I have to call the room itself and hope someone answers to tell me the room number.

When I first started pastoring as a student in rural Ohio, local hospitals took down church information during the admitting process, and then a volunteer or admin would call me if I was the listed pastor for a newly-admitted patient. I still have the name badge one hospital issued me. After being in Farmington, MN for a few years, the local hospital staff just got to know me and would call me, sometimes for people who didn’t have a pastor but wanted a visit. Those days are long gone.

I can appreciate the concerns for safety and privacy. Hopefully more people will start living the way Jesus wants us to live and we can dial down the “security”. Until then, you can help your pastor and church family by letting us know when someone is in the hospital and could use a visit. When you let us know, providing details like the hospital and the room number will expedite that visit. We will respect any concerns you express about who can visit and when to visit. Caring for each other during tough times is one of the superpowers of a church family, and I am grateful to all of you who alert me when someone could use a visit from the pastor.