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Stephen Ministry is a lay
caring ministry. We have many needs
for care in our congregation and community: people experiencing divorce, grief,
a terminal illness, loss of a job, relocation, an empty nest, retirement,
hospitalization, loneliness, and many other stresses or challenges.
Often people with needs suffer silently or do not request or receive the
level of care they really need. With
only one pastor for a congregation of over 300 members, you can quickly see why
it would be impossible for our pastor to meet every single need of every single
person. Stephen Ministry expands the care Calvary UMC can offer by
equipping and organizing members to provide Christian care.
This gives us a larger pool of people with the gifts, skills, and calling
to bring Christ’s love and care to those who most need.
Our Stephen Ministers
have had 50 hours of training plus continuing education monthly.
Confidentiality is a cornerstone of Stephen Ministry.
Stephen Ministers don’t reveal anything their care receiver says–and
don’t even tell anyone who their care receiver is.
If you would like more information about Stephen Ministry, or
if you would like to have Stephen Ministry care, please contact our church
office. If you know someone
who could use some extra Christian care, tell that person about our Stephen
Ministry and get permission to refer him or her to a Stephen Leader.
Our Stephen Ministers are available to care
for members of our congregation as well as to those outside our congregation.
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Mission Statement
Training Stephen Ministers to be compassionate, faithful,
trustworthy, and skilled caregivers, while always remembering that god is the cure-giver. |
Vision Statement
To educate our Stephen Ministers in order to provide
one-to-one Christian caregiving. |
