Going
through a tough time - emotionally or spiritually? Struggling with a
crisis in life? Or simply feeling down? Consider letting a Stephen
Minister help. A Stephen Minister is a member or our congregation,
who is trained to listen, care, encourage, pray, and walk alongside you during
difficult times. It’s confidential, free, and very helpful. To
learn more, contact a Stephen Leader through the church office
at 336- 273-6658.
Stephen Ministry equips lay
people to provide confidential, one-to-one Christian care to individuals in our
congregation and community who are experiencing difficulties in their
lives. Elder Adnee Bradford and Deacon Yvonne Patterson are the current
Stephen Leaders. They attended the Leader Training Course (LTC) in
January 2004 and recruited and trained two classes of Stephen
Ministers. Each group
completed the 50 hours of initial training and later commissioned.
Stephen
Ministers are not counselors. They are trained Christian
caregivers. Their role is to listen and to care—not to counsel or advise.
Stephen
Ministry is a supervised ministry. The Stephen Ministers engage in
monthly supervision to ensure that they are providing the best quality
Christian care for their care receivers.
Stephen Ministry is a
confidential ministry. What a care receiver tells a Stephen Minister
remains confidential—even in supervision sessions, the names of care receivers
and specific details are never discussed.
Stephen
Ministers are only assigned to care receivers who agree to receive the care.
Referrals
for care may be made directly to the Stephen Leaders, through the church
office, or by using the special forms provided at the church. Contact
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The Name
The
name Stephen comes from St. Stephen, who was the first layperson commissioned
by the Apostles to provide caring ministry to those in need (Acts 6).