The people of Demopolis can be glad to know that in the event of an emergency, there is group of people who are always on call to be of spiritual assistance. That group is the Demopolis Christian Ministerial Association.

The Ministerial Association currently consists of a handful of Demopolis ministers who, in addition to their full-time duties as church pastors, volunteer every waking minute to be of service to area residents.

One way the Ministerial Association aids the community is with its volunteer chaplain service through Whitfield Memorial Hospital.

In the event of an emergency, residents of Demopolis and surrounding areas can call Whitfield Memorial and let them know they’re in need of a minister. The on-call minister will be alerted, and help will be on the way.

Rev. Aaron Raulerson, president of the Ministerial Association and pastor of Trinity Episcopal Church in Demopolis, said one member of the Ministerial Association keeps a pager for seven days and then transfers the pager to another member.

“In the event of an emergency, it’s a good resource to have,” Raulerson said.

The Ministerial Association also provides chapel services at Whitfield Memorial. The chaplain on call for the week conducts services on Wednesday at 11:45 a.m. for anyone who would like to attend.

In addition to these services, Raulerson said, “The Ministerial Association is working right now to be more active in the life of the community.” On the calendar for October is one of the Ministerial Association’s efforts to do just that.

On October 9 from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., the First Baptist Church will host a workshop on Christian marriage. The workshop will be comprised of a variety of presentations by the members of the Ministerial Association.

“This is an opportunity for us to come together as Christians to address the issue of divorce,” Raulerson said.

While the Ministerial Association’s numbers are currently low, it is open to all churches in Demopolis and the surroundings areas. Raulerson said the group provides a peer support group for its members to help deal with the “joys and challenges” that come with the work.