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.

Stephen Ministers are lay persons who have received 50 hours of training in providing emotional and spiritual care. These congregation members are carefully selected to serve in this role as people with gifts for caregiving, discretion and dedication. By definition, a Stephen Minister is:

• A child of God who walks beside a person who is hurting
• 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

We all experience challenges in life, times when we could benefit from support of a caring Christian friend. Stephen Ministers are ready to provide the emotional and spiritual care you need when faced with a crisis or difficulty.

• Loss of a loved one
• Hospitalization
• Divorce or separation
• Loneliness or discouragement
• Spiritual crises
• Unemployment or a job crisis
• A terminal illness
• Incarceration
• Aging
• Birth, adoption, miscarriage, or infertility
• A chronic illness
• Relocation
• Recovering after an accident or disaster

The identity of those receiving care and what takes place in each caring relationship remains private. Male Stephen Ministers are assigned to male care receivers and female Stephen Ministers are assigned to female care receivers.

Trained Stephen Leaders also come from our congregation to oversee and direct our Stephen Ministry.

If you or someone you know could benefit from the care of a Stephen Minister, if you are interested in possibly becoming a Stephen Minister, or if you have any other questions about this very special ministry, contact Betty Bowers at 317.259.7366.