First Presbyterian Church
Stephen Ministry
What is Stephen Ministry?
Stephen Ministry is grounded in Jesus' command to love one another. Through one-to-one caring relationships, those who are hurting receive the love and care they need to support them.
--- Is live more than you can handle right now?
--- Are your health, your
attitude, or your relationships
suffering?
--- Are you adjusting to a new job,
change in marital status, a
serious
illness, the death of a loved one, or a recent move?
--- Would you like to have someone in your life who really cares?
Everyone goes through difficult times. Having someone to care, to listen, to share God's love with you can help you get through the confusion, stress, or loneliness you may be experiencing.
How does the referral process work?
- A person -- either you, a relative, or a friend, -- is hurting and in need of Christian care.
- The pastor or Stephen Leader learns about this need for care-- fro the person or relative, or a friend, always with the person's permission.
- The Stephen Leader meets with the person to talk about Stephen Ministry.
- With the person's permission, the Stephen Leader assigns a Stephen Minister to meet on a weekly basis with the person.
- The Stephen Minister continues to provide distinctively Christian care for the person with strict confidentiality.
What is a Stephen Minister?
A Stephen Minister is ....
- a child of God who walks beside a hurting person ;
- a caring Christian friend who really listens;
- a lay person who has received 50 hours of training on how to provide distinctively Christian care;
A Stephen Minister is not ...
- a counselor or therapist
- a problem-solver
- a casual visitor
Stephen Ministry helps meet the need of individuals who are...
* hospitalized
* terminally ill
* bereaved
* in a job crisis
* disabled
* homebound
* lonely
* in a spiritual crisis
* looking for a Christian friend
To find our more information about Stephen Ministry, please call the church office to contact one or our Stephen Leaders at (937) 339-1317.