Hurting? Struggling? Discouraged? Stressed? Confused? Broken?

Stephen Ministers Are Ready to Care.

Our congregation's Stephen Ministry equips lay people to provide confidential, one-to-one care to individuals in our congregation and community who are experiencing difficulties in their lives.

Stephen Ministers Care for People Facing Tough Times

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 crises
-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 remains private.

A Stephen Minister Is . . .

-A child of God who walks beside a person who is hurting.
-A congregation member with gifts for care giving, 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.

 

Stephen Ministry Is Your Ministry

YOU play an important role in our Stephen Ministry. Here's what you can do:

-Pray for God to bring hope and healing to hurting people through our Stephen Ministry.
-Accept care from a Stephen Minister during your time of need. God doesn't expect you to bear your    burdens alone.
-Tell a friend, neighbor, coworker, or relative who is hurting about about our Stephen Ministry.
-If you are a good listener and a compassionate person, prayerfully consider becoming a Stephen Minister.

 

Stephen Leaders Are . . .

Trained leaders in our congregation who oversee and direct our Stephen Ministry.

Stephen Ministry Multiplies Ministry

Pastors will always be on the front lines of care, especially during times of crisis. But there are always many more needs for on going, one-to-one care than pastors can effectively meet by themselves.

Stephen Ministry provides a biblical solution - equipping God's people for ministry. Gifted lay people are trained to support and extend the care that pastors continue to provide.

Stephen Ministers reach out with God's love to people who are hurting = both congregation and nonmembers alike.

 

Caring nurtures the seed of God's love - in the care receiver's heart and in yours.

What makes up the Job Description of a Stephen Minister?

Stephen Ministers are congregation members who are recruited, selected, trained, and commissioned to provide one-to-one lay caring ministry to persons in crisis or with other needs for care. They participate in Supervision Group twice a month. They initially commit to serve for two years including training and may renew their commitment.

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What Stephen Ministers Do

A defined cluster of activities make up a Stephen Minister's job description:

Pray

Stephen Ministers pray daily for their care receivers and strive to worship God always in word and deed. They reveal the love of God to those who most need to see it.

Care for the Care Receiver

Stephen Ministers are assigned to care receivers - people in crisis who need caring support. Stephen Ministers care for those in moderate difficulties. The Stephen Minister's care helps the care receiver resolve the difficulty and achieve growth.

Most Stephen Ministers meet once a week with their care receivers for about an hour at a time. They may also check in with the care receiver by telephone, particularly when the care receiver is going through a difficult time.

Stephen Ministers use special skills to care for their care receivers. Among the most important are the following:

Listening

Most care receivers need someone simply to listen - really listen - as they talk through their difficulties.

Dealing with Feelings

Stephen Ministers reflect the care receiver's content, feelings, and ideas and ask open-ended questions to help the care receiver recognize, express, and accept his or her feelings.

Sharing Distinctively Christian Caring Resources

Stephen Ministers may share a prayer, a Bible verse or story, or other caring gestures that the care receiver would welcome.

Remaining process-oriented

Stephen Ministers do not try to fix the care receiver or his or her problems; they focus on the process of care giving and rely on God to achieve the results.

Relating Assertively

Stephen Ministers respect both the needs of the care receiver and their own needs as well.

Maintaining Boundaries

Stephen Ministers set appropriate boundaries in the caring relationship, helping the care receiver remain as independent as possible while being there for the care receiver as needed.

Recommending professional care when necessary

Stephen Ministers are not trained to care for those who are suicidal, severely depressed, abusive, or homicidal, or who are abusing drugs or alcohol. If Stephen Ministers recognize that their care receiver's needs exceed the care they are able to provide, they see that the care receiver receives professional care.

Maintain Confidentiality

Stephen Ministers understand that confidentiality is crucial in any caring relationship. The care receiver needs to know that what he or she says to the Stephen Minister will remain in confidence. Stephen Ministers maintain confidentiality and encourage other Stephen Ministers to do the same.

Help Identify People in Need of Stephen Ministry

Stephen Ministers act as ministers of referral, helping to find people who would benefit from the care of a Stephen Minister.

Participate in Twice-Monthly Supervision and Continuing Education Sessions

Stephen Ministers participate faithfully in Small Group Peer Supervision and continuing education, coming prepared to every supervision session unless illness or emergency makes attendance impossible. Supervision provides Stephen Ministers with support, guidance, and accountability for their caring relationships. There are no unsupervised Stephen Ministers.

Help the Congregation Understand and Appreciate Stephen Ministry

Through their service, Stephen Ministers help the congregation appreciate Stephen Ministry and encourage members to become minister of referral who help those in crisis receive the care they need.

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How the Congregation Supports the Stephen Minister

The Stephen Minister has responsibilities, and so does the congregation.

Training

Through its trained Stephen Leaders, the congregation supplies Stephen Ministers 50 hours of training for this ministry before they are assigned a care receiver, and further supplies continuing education twice monthly as ling as the Stephen Ministers serve. The training is comprehensive, and Stephen Ministers can feel confident in their skills for this ministry.

Commissioning

The congregation formally commissions Stephen Ministers at one or more worship services. This allows the community to recognize their efforts, affirm and support their ministry, and pray for them as they begin their caring ministry.

Supervision

Small Group Peer Supervision provides Stephen Ministers with encouragement and assures that no Stephen Minster will ever have to carry the responsibility for his or her care receiver all alone.

Prayers

Stephen Ministers rely on the prayers of the congregation for keeping God's presence foremost in their caring ministry. Sometimes the going will be tough for both caregivers and their care receivers; the Stephen Ministers will need the additional support of knowing that others are lifting their needs as caregivers to God in prayer.

Stephen Leaders

By accepting Stephen Ministry as part of its overall ministry, a congregation agrees to supply the resources that allow for the training of Stephen Leaders. These Stephen Leaders in turn provide guidance for Stephen Ministers. They train them and ensure that the Supervision and continuing education sessions progress smoothly. They are available to consult with Stephen Ministers when they have questions, face challenges, or suspect that the care receiver's needs exceed the care they are able to give. Stephen Leaders offer support, advice, and affirmation to the Stephen Ministers and ensure the smooth operation of Stephen Ministry in the congregation.

Recognition and Appreciation

The congregation recognizes and appreciates Stephen Ministers for the service they give the congregation.

Stephen Ministry is our congregation's one-to-one care giving ministry. God works through Stephen Ministers to plant a seed of home and healing in a person whose life seems barren and forlorn because of some crisis or tragedy.

Stephen Ministry training will equip you, and our congregation will support you, so that you can show God's mercy, care, and compassion to another who is hurting. You will walk beside your care receiver, pray for him or her, and help him or her work through life's difficulties.

Through this ministry, God will bring forth new life and renewed faith in both your care receiver and in you as a Stephen Minister.

Is God calling you to serve in this way?

To learn more about becoming a Stephen Minister, please contact:
Gertie Fettes, Nancy Peterson, or Nancy Strait at

First Presbyterian Church
2910 Central Avenue
Middletown, Ohio, 45044
Office Phone Number: (513)-422-6365
Office Fax Number: (513)-422-3317

The Stephen Series logo symbolizes that we all are broken people and that it is only through the cross of Jesus that we are made whole.

Stephen Ministries St. Louis Supports Our First Presbyterian Church Congregation's Stephen Ministry

'Stephen Ministries' is a not-for-profit Christian educational organization based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1975, Stephen Ministries provides training and resources to thousands of congregations and organizations worldwide.

For even more information, you can log on to www.stephenministries.org
or call (314)-428-2600 to learn more or again,
call our church office at (513)-422-6365.

 

We certainly hope that from either side, whether you are in need of care, or have the gift of providing care, that you will look deeper into what this program can offer to you and the outreach of Stephen Ministry in our community.