Stephen's Ministry
Our congregation’s Stephen Ministry equips lay people to provide confidential, one-to-one Christian care to individuals in our congregation and community who are experiencing difficulties in their lives.Our congregation’s Stephen Ministry equips lay people to provide confidential, one-to-one Christian care to individuals in our congregation and community who are experiencing difficulties in their lives.
We all experience challenges in life – times when we could benefit from the support of a caring Christian friend. Stephen Ministers are ready to provide the emotional and spiritual care we need when faced with a crisis or difficulty such as:
- Loss of a loved one
- Hospitalization
- Divorce or separation
- Loneliness or discouragement
- Spiritual crisis
- Unemployment or a job crisis
- A terminal illness
- Incarceration
- Aging
- Birth, adoption, miscarriage, or infertility
- A chronic illness
- Relocation
- Recovery after an accident or disaster
- And many more
- Stephen Ministry is a confidential ministry: the identity of those receiving care and what takes place in each caring relationship remain private.
A Stephen Minister is:
- a child of God who walks beside a person who is hurting
- a congregation member with gifts for caregiving who was carefully selected to serve in this role
- a lay person who has received 50 hours of training in providing emotional and spiritual care
- a caring, Christian friend who listens, cares, prays, supports, and encourages
- someone who will “be there” for his or her care receiver, meeting faithfully for about an hour each week, for as long as there’s a need