| First United Methodist Church offers the Stephen Ministry program in order to further expand the amount of Christ-centered care giving which we can provide to members of our church family and others in the community.
Through this program, trained lay persons provide Christians care for persons who are experiencing difficulties or problems in their lives. This service is available to all church members and others in the community.
Stephen Ministry are committed Christians caregivers, dedicated to developing ongoing, in-depth, caring relationships. They receive fifty hours of training before they begin their work. They are lay women and men form the congregation, who have developed their gifts for bringing Christ's healing love to people who are experiencing difficulties in life. They come from all walks of life, age ranges, and backgrounds.
The responsibility for passing on God’s love is for all Christians, not just a chosen few. The Stephen Ministry Program is based on the biblical premise that all Christians are called to be ministers.
We have many needs for care in our congregation and community: people who are experiencing divorce, grief, a terminal illness, loss of a job, relocation, an empty nest, retirement, hospitalization, and many other stresses and challenges. Often, people with needs suffer silently or do not request or receive the level of care they really need.
It is not possible for the clergy to provide all of the care to meet all of these needs. Lay persons who have answered the call to become Stephen Ministers participate in a fifty-hour training program that equips them for this ministry. The Stephen Ministers are then paired up one-on-one with those who have requested the support of a Stephen Minister.
Are you hurting as a result of:
Loneliness Job Loss Hospitalization
Depression Divorce Childbirth
Chemical Dependency Terminal Illness
Grief
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Stephen Ministry