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SAMARITAN COUNSELING CENTER TESTIMONIAL LETTER
from Rev. STEVE HALL, LOCKPORT UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
August 11, 2011
The Department of Community Ministries, WNYCIC
c/o Rev. Pierre Albrecht-Carrié
3746 Moyer Road
North Tonawanda, NY 14120
Dear Pierre:
As per our phone conversation today, I am writing in support of the Samaritan Counseling Center’s (SCC) grant application to the Department of Community Ministries. In particular, I would like to share the impact that the counseling center has had on the ministry of Lockport United Church of Christ.
Members of our congregation have benefitted personally from engaging the services that Samaritan Counseling offers. Several have maintained fairly long-term relationships with counselors from the center; in some cases, in excess of a year. Their needs typically have involved psychological, marital, and family issues. I fully appreciate the presence of an accredited counseling service, especially in matters for which I have received little or no training. SCC’s association with Lockport UCC makes it possible for me to offer faith-based professional counseling that I, otherwise, would not be able to provide.
Samaritan Counseling has also undergirded the evangelistic outreach of this congregation. Allow me to share one anecdote by way of illustration. A gentleman walked into the church office in April, looking for counseling. I described SCC and the services that it provides. I walked him through the intake process that he would need to follow. And then, I showed him the actual space where he would meet with his counselor. He followed through with the contact and started counseling. Since that time, he and his Down Syndrome daughter have worshiped with us on a regular basis and have even done grounds work around the church. This gentleman has clearly said that he is here because of the connection between SCC and Lockport UCC.
Finally, the Samaritan Counseling Center offers an important vehicle through which ecumenical cooperation happens in this community. Clients come from the Lutheran, United Methodist, Presbyterian, and Baptist congregations in Lockport. They know that this is an important ministry that crosses denominational lines, and they associate this ecumenical venture with Lockport UCC.
The Samaritan Counseling Center responds to the needs of people who are caught up in the stresses that arise from daily life. This congregation values the resources that it brings, not only to us, but to the Lockport community. I urge you to give favorable consideration to their grant request, because I believe that it will be money well invested in the center, in Lockport UCC, and in this community.
Yours in faith,
Stephen A. Hall
Pastor
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