Stephen Ministry …Who Are They?
Stephen Ministers
are lay Christians, selected, trained a minimum of fifty hours and supervised by the clergy to provide effective Christian
care to others at St. Matthias and to exercise their gift of ministry. They commit to a two-year term of initial service,
an average of a one-hour visit per week and twice-monthly meetings for supervision and continued education. Stephen Ministers are named after St. Stephen, one of the first deacons of the early church, who was commissioned
by the apostles to care for the needs of the people in the Christian community.
Stephen Ministers provide…
- One to one ministry; as trained caring church members reaching out to others in time of need
- Confidential ministry; continuous effort is made to maintain the bond of trust between the person
receiving care and the caregiver
- A caring relationship that focuses on the unique needs of each person and lasts as long as the
needs exist
Stephen Ministers Meet the Needs of People
These needs include
but are not limited to…
·
the separated or divorced
·
households experiencing birth or adoption
·
those needing the support of a Christian friend
·
those in spiritual crisis
·
people who move into or out of our community
·
the hospitalized
·
people who are alone or lonely
·
the terminally ill and their families
·
those grieving a death or serious loss
·
the homebound and institutionalized
Stephen Ministers
give hundreds of hours of service to care receivers and their families each year.
Stephen Minister’s
supervision meetings are held every 2nd and 4th Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Chase room. The Goal of supervision
meetings (Small Group Peer Supervision) is for Stephen Ministers to work together in order to enable the best distinctively
Christian care possible to benefit their care receivers.
