Stephen Ministry

Stephen Ministry is a one-on-one care giving group in our church. It takes everyone in the church to move this program forward.  For example, when someone has a crisis, like a hospital stay or loss of a job, the first person they go to is the pastor. Our pastor must feel like a firefighter as he is called to a crisis and throws a bucket of cold water on the fire reducing the flame just a little bit or maybe a lot depending on the crisis. But who is there to put out the rest of the fire? A Stephen Minister would probably be a good person to walk the rest of the way until the fire is out. 

Every Sunday we hear of persons going through life issues when we call for prayer needs. These are people in our church family, friends in the community and family members that we care about. Perhaps a Stephen Minister would be the best answer for our cared-about prayer needs. Stephen Ministry is a worldwide program and someone who needs help can be referred to a Stephen Ministry church in their own area. Care Receivers do not need to be a member of our church to receive care. A referral can be made through our church. A caring church member must contact Rev. Bruce or Linda Henry or the church office to discuss the program and develop a plan. All care receivers must consent to receiving a Stephen Minister so there are important steps that must occur before a Stephen Minister is matched with a Care Receiver.  Therefore, it is important that all members of our congregation know about Stephen Ministry and are willing to refer someone who is in need.