Stephen Ministry
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David Wagemaker |
Contact a Stephen Minster. Call 520-615-8500 or Email Us! |
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What is Stephen Ministry?
Our congregation’s 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.
A Stephen Minister is:
- • A Child of God who walks beside a person who is hurting
- • A congregation member with gifts for caregiving who was carefully selected to serve in this role
- • A lay person who has received 50 hours of training in providing emotional and spiritual care
- • A caring Christian Friend who listens, cares, prays, supports, and encourages
- • Someone who will “be there” for his or her care receiver, meeting faithfully for about an hour each week, for a s long as there's a need
Stephen Ministers Care for People Facing Tough Times
We all experience challenges in life - times when we could benefit from the support of a caring Christian Friend. Stephen Ministers are ready to provide the emotional and Spiritual care we need when faced with a crisis of difficulty such as:
- • Relationship Concerns: Loss of a loved one, Divorced or separation
- • Career Issues: Unemployment or a job crisis, Relocation
- • Health Related: Hospitalization, A terminal illness or Incarceration, Aging, chronic illness, Recovery after an accident
- • Family Needs: Birth, adoption, miscarriage, or infertility
- • Spiritual Crisis: Discouragement, Loneliness, Loss of spiritual direction, needing a sense of forgiveness
Stephen Ministry is a confidential ministry: The identity of those receiving care and what takes place in each caring relationship remain private. Stephen Ministers are members of our congregation who provide one-to-one caring ministry that provides emotional and spiritual support on a weekly basis to hurting people for as long as the need persists.
How do I arrange to have a Stephen Minister in my life?
If you are feeling lonely, experiencing a crisis, struggling through a difficult time, or simply find yourself stressed by everyday life, contact one of our Stephen Leaders listed here. If you’d like more information on working with a Stephen Minister please contact David Wagemaker at 615-8500 x145, or Doris Alban or Keith Schubert who are listed in the Congregational Phone book. Our Stephen Ministers are ready to care for you!
Current Stephen Ministers serving at CFC
Doris Alban, Anna Baker, Valda Bowdoin, John Bowdoin, Taffy Christensen, Terri Fletcher, Betsy Hazel, Monte Kitchens, Janet Lew, Michael Lucht, Susan Lucht, Penny Lundstrom, Dorothy Moore, Jan Nordell, Fay Peceniak, Hannetjie Pieterse, Robin Petteys, Norberta Santiago, Keith Schubert, Garrett Schulze, Betty Seng, David Seng, Dick Tumpes, Sandy Tumpes, David Wagemaker, Sharon Wey, Garth Young, Marilyn Young
The Blessings of Serving as a Stephen Minister
“Therefore encourage one another and build up each other.” - I Thessalonians 5:11
Thinking about serving as a Stephen Minister at CFC? Since 1975, nearly 500,000 Christian men and women from all walks of life have trained and served as Stephen Ministers. Most become Stephen Ministers as a way to serve others- but quickly discover the amazing blessings God gives them in return. Here are comments on what several of them have to say:
“Stephen Ministry has given me a way to serve God more faithfully by being his presence to those in need. In the process God has blessed me with skills I didn’t know I had and enriched my life in more ways that I could ever imagine” - Gene, an Aerospace Engineer, Manassas, Va.
“Stephen Minister training has helped me grow - personal, spiritual, and professionally. I use my Stephen Ministry skills all the time with patients, peers, and physicians. Stephen Ministry has made a big difference in my own life and in my congregation.” - Anna, Registered Nurse, Hendersonville, Tn.
How do I become a Stephen Minister?
Stephen Ministry training will equip you, and our congregation will support you, so that you ca show God’s mercy, care and compassion to another who is hurting. You will walk beside your care receiver, pray for him or her, and encourage him or her work through life’s difficulties. Through this ministry God will bring forth new life and renewed faith in both your care receiver and in you as a Stephen Minister. Is God calling you to serve in this way? Contact David @ 615-8500 x145 for more information.
Stephen Ministers serve when they listen, explore feelings, pray, share Christ’s love, maintain confidentiality, and attend to the care giving process and leave the results to God. Some have Spiritual Gifts and life experiences that will help them progress, in addition, the Elders have chosen the Stephen Ministry Series to be the common training for all who serve at CFC.
Stephen Minister training equips you to do an excellent job as a Stephen Minister as well as to improve the quality of all your relationships. There are 20 sessions which meet for 2.5 hrs. Tuesday evenings on topics which include: listening, feelings, confidentiality, providing Christian care, maintaining boundaries, crisis theory, and practice in ministering to people experiencing difficulty. Exciting class sessions include books, lecture, group discussions, role-play to practice applying the lessons, DVDs, panel presentations, and much more. Instructors are members of the CFC Pastoral and Director Staff, Physicians and practitioners from our congregation and others.
Once equipped, Stephen Ministers meet with a person once a week for about an hour to listen, care, encourage, and pray. The Stephen Minister brings Christ’s presence into the person’s life and also experiences Christ in the other person. It’s really a life-changing ministry for both the care receiver and the Stephen Minister.
When are the next Informational Meetings on becoming a Stephen Minister?
Because the length of training, we currently offer it only once per year coinciding starting in the fall. For more information on when we will be holding an orientation meeting, please contact David Wagemaker 520-615-8500 or Betsy Hazel, SM Education Coordinator, at 520-743-0484 with questions. We look forward to you joining us in serving for the Lord.
Stephen Leaders Are...
Trained leaders in our congregation who oversee and direct our Stephen Ministry. They are Betsy Hazel, Education Coordinator; Marilyn Young, Supervision Coordinator; Doris Alban, Referral Coordinator for Women; Keith Schubert & Dick Tumpes, Referral Coordinators for Men; David Wagemaker, Director of Stephen Ministry at CFC.