In my encounters with patients the subject of their church connection is a frequent topic of conversation.  A lot of these conversations are rich with inspiring stories of how the patient had been active in important ministries when the patient had the gifts of health and strength.  Other times this conversation makes me sad because in some churches once you no longer are attending, they do not seem to make any outreach to you.  This makes the patient feel forgotten and rejected by their church.  At times this sense of being forgotten gets even deeper and the patient starts to wonder if God has forgotten them.  Recently a patient told me after we prayed, “You are the first pastor to pray with me for 5 years.”  That comment of appreciation broke my heart.  Ministry to the homebound is important.  If you ever doubted the importance of homebound visitation before, I hope this article inspires you to reach out the homebound in your congregation whether you are clergy or laity, visits and prayers mean a lot to those who because of health can no longer attend the church that had been their spiritual home for years.