The Training Process

The regular Stephen Ministry training course involves 50 hours in class. We also have 11 Stephen Ministers who have received additional training in Bereavement in a special class. These Stephen Ministers are well equipped to provide supportive, compassionate caregiving to people who have suffered a loss due to death. It’s work, it’s fun, it’s a great time for spiritual growth! Consider joining us in this exciting and rewarding ministry. Please contact the Stephen Ministry Coordinator at 346-4780 for more information. See what a difference Stephen Ministry can make in your life!

Testimonials of Stephen Ministers

I felt a strong desire to reach out to those who need help, but I was skeptical about my own ability to care for hurting people in a meaningful way. I just could not believe that I, as ordinary as I am, would be capable. When I learned at our first extended care meeting that I was about to be assigned my first care receiver, I almost panicked! When I got home, I read again a chapter from Christian Caregiving--A Way of Life that had been especially meaningful to me, the one titled "Servanthood vs. Servitude." In that chapter, Dr. Kenneth C. Haugk urges caregivers to not let their personal limitations prevent them from offering care. "A limitation today could become a strength tomorrow. God isn't finished with you yet. Accept your limitations; give the care you can. Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 that God deliberately seeks out the weak things and the despised things because it is in working through them that he can receive the greatest glory; then, everyone will know that only God could have done it. If you feel weak, limited, or just plain ordinary, you are exactly the kind of person through whom God can work. So now, with much enthusiasm, I am giving the care I can, and God is helping me to be patient with my care receiver. And each day I feel limited, I pause to remember that there will be days of strength ahead.

Being a Stephen minister has been a multi-dimensional, rich spiritual experience, including the thorough initial training, through the learning component of the twice-monthly gatherings, the interaction with lay persons of vibrant, living faith,-and then applying these experiences in ministering to one’s care receiver.

I was kind of sitting on the sidelines in our congregation. Oh, I came to church every Sunday, but the rest of the week I was focused on myself. Then Stephen Ministry came along. When I said yes to God’s call to me for that ministry, I saw a lot of changes in my life. Now I’m committed to caring more about others than I do about myself. And you know what? I’m walking a lot closer with my Lord.

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