Stephen Ministry
What is Stephen Ministry?
Stephen Ministry is a system through which members of Central Presbyterian Church are trained and organized to help provide Christian care giving to members of our congregation and community. This will multiply the amount of caring ministry Central can provide by giving us a whole team of skilled caregivers who are equipped to bring Christ's healing love to people who are grieving, in crisis, or experiencing other stresses in life. It is a one-to one ministry by trained lay people who have responded to Christ's call to "carry each other's burdens, and in this way fulfilling the law of Christ"
Stephen Ministry helps to meet the needs of individuals who are:
• Homebound /alone
• Hospitalized /recently discharged
• Facing serious or terminal illness
• Experiencing major adjustments to jobs/careers/residences
• Residents of long-term care facilities
• Facing decisions on future care of aging parents/spouses
• Experiencing absence of family members due to death, military assignment, marriage, divorce
• Persons adjusting to becoming single parents
What is a Stephen Minister?
A lay person who has received 50 hours of training in how to provide distinctly Christian care. A Stephen Minster is not a counselor, a therapist, or a casual visitor.
How does the referral process works?
• A person—either you, a relative, or a friend—is in need of Christian care
• Members of the congregation or the Stephen Minister team learns this from you
• This is referred to our minister, who will call you about this referral
• The minister refers this to the Stephen Leader for follow up. The SL visits the potential care receiver to explain about Stephen Ministry Program.
• The Stephen Leader will assign a Stephen Minister to meet on a weekly basis with the care receiver.
• The Stephen Minister continues to provide Christian care for the person with strict confidentiality till both parties the caregiver and the care receiver agree to close the relationship