How do we learn to care for others in the community — whether the community of faith or the extended community? Some people seem to have natural gifts, but most of us can learn to show caring and to improve our caring skills. Farabaugh's work offers insights into the life sapn and into the dynamics of contemporary life to help us reach out with God's love and care to others. Farabaugh offers a systemic way for caring to happen within congregational life. By using this resource, overworked pastors will find personal respite in the use of caring gifts among tha laity in the church. This text is broken down into two parts. The fist contains an overview of caring ministries by means of a daylong retreat. In the second part Farabaugh gives plans for an ongoing series of monthly meetings to cover a variety of topics in congregational care.