What is it?
What is it?Who needs it?
Who are the Stephen Ministries?
Let’s start with the second question first. All of us encounter problems in our lives.
- Problems may be serious, or mostly annoying. Problems may be long lasting, or they may be temporary. They may involve you or someone you love.
Some of us may be able to survive our problems with prayer and with the passage of time. But some situations become crises, being so severe that they may interfere with the activities of our daily lives. Those situations may be financial, perhaps associated with the loss of a job. They may be physical, such as a diagnosis of a severe illness. They may be relationship problems, dealing with children or a divorce. They may be emotional such as suffering depression or grief-related issues.
Some persons, however may not have such traumatic experiences. They may only need help in getting over a “bump” in their lives. Stephen Ministry is for them, too.
What is Stephen Ministry?
The key to Stephen Ministry is that, however serious or simple the problem, God is the CURE-giver, and the Stephen Ministers offer distinctly Christian love in their CARE- giving. They are guided by 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, in which the Apostle Paul says “I planted, Apollos watered, but God made it grow. So, neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but God who makes things grow.”
Who are the Stephen Ministers?
They are men and women of our congregation who have committed themselves in prayer and study, with the help of the Holy Spirit to establish a caring relationship with those who need their help.
If you feel that you or someone you know, with God’s help, would profit from a Stephen Minister relationship, please contact Craig Jannusch, Pastor Abraham, or one of the Stephen Ministers to learn more.
— Craig Jannusch, Stephen Ministry Director
