The privilege of Pastoral Visitation

Family, I have been amazed by your surprise when I have visited you at your bedsides during hospitalization. I want to use this space to share why pastoral visitations are and will remain a hallmark of my ministry.

It was mid December 2013. I was in the first trimester of my second pregnancy. I was extremely ill with hyperemesis gravidarum, a condition that includes intractable vomiting. I was still nursing Afia, who was 18 months old at the time. I had lost twenty pounds and was barely sustaining. Dr. Judy Banks, my OB-GYN, was so concerned that she admitted me to the hospital. At the time, we were living in Edison, but Morristown Medical Center is where Dr. Banks had privileges and where our girls were born. The day after I was admitted to the hospital we had our first snow. It was heavy. I was sitting in that hospital weary and weak when I heard a knock at the door. It was my pastor, the Rev. Ronald L. Owens. He traveled over 30 miles in a snowstorm to visit my bedside. He stayed for about 15 minutes and prayed before departing. At the time Joseph and I had only been members of New Hope for a few months. His visit made a lasting impression.

Fast forward. Afia was scheduled to have her tonsils and adenoids removed just days after her third birthday. We were to arrive at the surgical center at 6:30am. As parents, Joseph and I were anxious. Our anxiety was quelled when Dr. Owens, who is not a morning person, walked in shortly after we arrived to pray with us before the surgery. Afia was happy to see her Passuh.

In these moments, our Pastor’s visit were a reminder that God was with us. I watched him show up for countless others the same way he showed up for us and as long as God allows me the privilege of being your pastor, I will do likewise.

In Christ’s Love,

Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah