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What is Stephen Ministry?
Stephen Ministry is an ecumenical ministry of
lay caregiving. Trained Stephen
Ministers from within the congregation work with members and friends of the
church on a one-on-one basis to walk beside them during a time of transition (a
long-term illness, a death or illness in the family, a job change, divorce) or
personal struggle. Typically, Stephen
Ministers meet with their care receivers about once a week for an hour. They are trained to offer intentional care
and do not attempt to be amateur psychologists or therapists. Rather their role is to listen, to check in
on a regular basis, to refer for specialized care or support (when appropriate)
and to offer the compassionate presence of Christ to another. All of this is done in the strictest of
confidence so that people can share freely what is on their hearts.
What Do I Do if I am Interested in Being
Assigned a Stephen Minister?
The first step is to contact Vicki Ralph, who
handles our Stephen Minister pairings, and set up a meeting. She will talk with you about what is involved,
what you are committing yourself to and what you can in return expect (and not
expect!) from a Stephen Minister. She will pair you (in confidence – not even spouses know!) with one of our
Stephen Ministers and then you will begin meeting on an agreed-upon schedule
How do I Become a
Stephen Minister?
We offer orientation sessions to the Stephen Ministry program about every six
months that provide information on what it means to be a Stephen Minister.
Would-be Stephen Ministers go through an interview with members of our Stephen
Leader Team and, if received into the program, then take part in 50 hours of
training in basic caregiving skills. We offer training for Stephen Ministers as part of a network of churches with
active Stephen Ministries. New classes
form every 12-18 months. For more information, contact Vicki Ralph.
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Leadership Team
| Vicki Ralph | Director |
| Randy Fansler | Supervision |
| Mary Ann Toomey | Continuing Education |
| | Training |
| Sandy Long | Communications |
| | Placement |
Some Background
Our
Stephen Ministry program at BUMC has grown to become more than we ever
imagined! Just two years ago, we sent 5 people from our
congregation, along with Scilla Adams (Director of Lay Ministry) and Rev. Ron
to San Antonio, Texas for an intensive week of Stephen Ministry leadership
training. There we learned how to begin, develop, and grow a Stephen
Ministry program. We came back from this training and immediately
created the necessary groundwork for our first Stephen Ministry
class. In November of that year, we commissioned 11 Stephen
Ministers who had just completed our first training course.
Since our
beginning, all 11 Stephen Ministers have provided one to one Christian
caregiving to individuals within our congregation. In addition, we
have had the opportunity to reach out and provide care beyond our
walls. Trinity United Methodist Church in North Carolina (a sister
Stephen Ministry church) contacted us to provide care to a member of their congregation who
was receiving specialized care at NIH. The joy of this ministry is
that God is at the center of all we do. God provides the cure -
Stephen Ministers provide the care.
In addition, Stephen Ministers have been available for prayer after September
11th, during the sniper attacks, and always on Communion Sunday (the first
Sunday of the month). Our Stephen Ministry team meets twice a month
for supervision, continuing education, fellowship, and great snacks.
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