| This is a one-on-one
crisis care ministry. Our VISION is to
provide confidential, Christian care and
nurture by supporting individuals through
a time of personal crisis.
What Is the Stephen Ministry?
A system through which members of First
Presbyterian are trained and organized
to help provide Christian caregiving to
members of our congregation and community.
This will multiply the amount of caring
ministry First Presbyterian can provide
by giving us a whole team of skilled caregivers
who are equipped to bring Christ's healing
and love to people who are grieving, in
crisis, or experiencing other stresses
in life.
Why Stephen Ministry?
We have many needs for care in our congregation
and community: people experiencing divorce,
grief, a terminal illness, loss of a job,
relocation, an empty nest, retirement,
hospitalization, loneliness, and many
other stresses or challenges. Often people
with needs suffer silently or do not request
or receive the level of care they really
need. With only a limited number of Ministers
in a very large church, you can quickly
see it would be impossible for our Ministers
to meet every single need of every single
person. Stephen Ministry expands the care
First Presbyterian can offer by equipping
and organizing members to provide Christian
care. This gives us a larger pool of people
with the gifts, skills, and calling to
bring Christ's love and care to those
who need it most.
How Does It Work?
When someone requests a Stephen Minister,
our Stephen Ministry Referrals Coordinator
will meet with that person, explain what
the Stephen Ministry is, and help determine
whether Stephen Ministry is the kind of
care that person needs. Our Referrals
Coordinator then matches the person with
one of our available Stephen Ministers.
The Stephen Minister will then call that
person and begin meeting with him or her
for around an hour each week as long as
the need is there. Everything a care receiver
says to his or her Stephen Minister is
kept confidential. The Stephen Minister
doesn't try to solve problems; rather,
he or she listens, cares, prays, and helps
the care receiver find his or her path
to healing and wholeness.
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