Sometimes difficult life situations come our way such as the loss of a job, a serious illness, divorce, loss of a loved one, and more. When they do, the care of a trained Stephen Minister may be just the emotional and spiritual support you need.
Stephen Ministry During COVID-19
Stephen Ministers are available to our congregation and to the community in-person, by phone, ZOOM, or FaceTime depending on everyone’s comfort level.
What does a Stephen Minister do?
Stephen Ministers are lay congregation members trained to provide one-to-one care to those experiencing a difficult time in life, such as grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, or relocation.
Stephen Ministers come from all walks of life, but they all share a passion for bringing Christ’s love and care to people during a time of need.
Our congregation’s Stephen Ministry trains lay people to provide confidential, one-to-one Christian Care to individuals who are experiencing difficulties in their lives. God works through Stephen Ministers to plant a seed of hope and healing in a person who is dealing with difficult life situations that come our way such as:
- loss of a job
- a serious illness
- divorce
- loss of a loved one
- Relocation and more
The care of a professionally trained Stephen Minister may be just the emotional and/or spiritual support that you, or a family member, need.
How does Stephen Ministry work?
Typically, Stephen Ministers meet with their care receivers for an hour once a week. The relationship lasts for as long as necessary, based on the reason the caregiving relationship was initiated. The decision about how long the relationship continues is made jointly by the person receiving the care and the Stephen Minister.
When is a Stephen Minister needed?
Stephen Minister’s function in five general types of caregiving situations:
- Crisis care – Stephen Ministers can help at a time of crisis and help people who have just experienced a death in the family, an emergency, the arrest of a loved one, or some other extraordinary event.
- Follow-up care – Stephen Ministers keep showing up when the crisis is over and everyone else has gone home. This often is the most difficult time of adjustment for an individual and the time when having someone compassionate to talk to can make a tremendous difference in moving on with life.
- Chronic care – Stephen Ministers are effective at listening to individuals with health conditions that are never likely to improve or that are only likely to deteriorate. Often times these people are slowly forgotten by friends and family and need supplemental care like that provided by a Stephen Minister.
- Preventive care – Stephen Ministers can be brought into a situation before things become so bad that a crisis develops. By serving as a good listener and allowing someone to let off steam, a Stephen Minister can help prevent a real explosion at a later time.
- Supportive care – Stephen Ministers can support family or loved ones of those who are going through a crisis. Supportive care often greatly facilitates improvement in the person experiencing the crisis.
Confidentiality
Stephen Ministers keep personal information confidential. Therefore, you can feel free to share with your Stephen Minister without worry. There are rare occasions when a Stephen Minister must share confidential information in order to save a life. Those occasions are suicide, homicide, or abuse.
Joyce Rodos
Stephen Ministry Coordinator
If you, or someone you know, would benefit from a Stephen Minister please contact Joyce Rodos via email at jlrodos@yahoo.com.