Stephen Ministry is a ministry in our congregation in which trained and supervised lay persons, called Stephen Ministers, provide one-to-one Christian care to individuals facing life challenges or difficulties such as divorce, grief, loss of a job, loneliness, hospitalization, terminal illness, bereavement, aging or any of an endless number of other life problems.
The Ministers have each been through 50 hours of training in Christian care-giving, including general topics such as listening, feelings, boundaries, assertiveness and the use of Christian resources.
They meet monthly with the Stephen Leaders, who oversee and direct our Ministry, recruit, select, train, organize and supervise them. With the clergy, the Leaders also identify people in need of care and match them with a Stephen Minister should such a need arise. The care-receivers usually meet with their care-givers once a week for about an hour for as long as the care receiver will benefit by the relationship, usually a year’s duration.
Stephen Ministers listen, understand, accept and pray for and with care receivers They are not counselors but trained lay caregivers. As such, their role is to listen and care - not to give advice or counsel. Stephen Ministers are also trained to recognize when a care receiver's need exceeds what they can provide. When that happens, they work with care receivers to help them receive the level of care they really need.
If you would be interested in joining the next Stephen Ministry class or if you are in need of a Stephen Minister, please call the office at 261-2355. (Pastoral Care Commission)
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