Stephen Ministry
Dedicated to Caring:
Specially-trained members of Saint Andrew provide one-on-one caring, confidential relationships with those who are hurting or who are in need of Christian companionship and compassion. Stephen Ministers care, listen, and share God's love to help individuals get through stress, confusion, loneliness, or just plain difficult times.
Making Contact: Are you or someone you know hurting or in need of ordinary care? We invite you to take a step toward caring by contacting one of our pastors (Pastor Mark Martin at revmark@saintandrew-ic.org or Pastor Kyle Otterbein at revkyle@saintandrew-ic.org ) or our referral coordinator, Patsy Lawton at bplawton@mchsi.com.
Never Outdated
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9
Christian care is never outdated. God's command that we love one another is the same now as it was thousands of years ago. A new class of Stephen Ministry is busy preparing themselves for that purpose. Your prayers and support is helpful. If you desire a Stephen Minister, contact Pastor Kyle Otterbein (revkyle@saintandrew-ic.org or 338-7523) or Emily Sutphin (esutphin@mchsi.com or 358-9141).
Continuing Education Programs are open to the whole congregation. All St. Andrew members are invited to attend Stephen Ministry Continuing Education hour (7 – 8 pm) on the first Thursday of each month.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Stephen Ministry
(Part 1 of a two part series)
What Exactly is Stephen Ministry?
Stephen Ministry is a ministry in at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in which trained and supervised lay persons, called Stephen Ministers, provide one-to-one Christian care to individuals facing life challenges or difficulties.
Who is Involved?
Stephen Leaders are the ones who oversee and direct our Stephen Ministry. They recruit, select, train, organize, and supervise our Stephen Ministers, identify people in need of care, and match them with a Stephen Minister. We have six Stephen Leaders. They are Patsy Lawton, Toni Van Voorhis, Emily Sutphin, Jim Dane, Bill Ford, and Pastor Kyle Otterbein.
Stephen Ministers are the caregivers. They have been through 50 hours of training in Christian caregiving, including general topics such as listening, feelings, boundaries, assertiveness, and using Christian resources in caregiving. In addition, their training covered specialized topics such as ministering to the divorced, hospitalized, bereaved, and aging. We currently have 19 active Stephen Ministers. They are: Jim Dane, Twila Finkelstein, Bill Ford, Katherine Habley, Shelagh Hayreh, Gail Hockom, Joyce Krause, Patsy Lawton, Margie Loomer, Amy Nicholson, Gretchen Robinson, Sarah Quattrochi, Jayne Sandberg, Virginia Spalding, Emily Sutphin, Judy Swartzendruber, Anne Marie Trammell, Toni Van Voorhis, and Pam Wurster.
Care receivers are the recipients of Stephen Ministers’ care. They are people from our church or community who are experiencing divorce, grief, loss of a job, loneliness, hospitalization, terminal illness, or any of an endless number of other life difficulties. Stephen Ministers usually meet with their care receivers once a week for about an hour for as long as the care receiver will benefit by the relationship.
What Do Stephen Ministers Do?
Stephen Ministers are caring Christian friends who listen, understand, accept, and pray for and with care receivers who are working through a crisis or a tough time.
Are Stephen Ministers Counselors?
Stephen Ministers are not counselors; they are trained lay caregivers. Their role is to listen and care—not to give advice or counsel. Stephen Ministers are trained to recognize when a care receiver’s need exceeds what they can provide. When that happens they work with care receivers to help them receive the level of care they really need.
Can I Trust a Stephen Minister?
Trust is essential tp a caring relationship, and Stephen Ministers are people you can trust. Confidentiality is one of the most important principles of Stephen Ministry, and what a care receiver tells his or her Stephen Minister is kept in strict confidence.
Why the Name Stephen?
The name Stephen comes from St. Stephen, who was the first lay person commissioned by the apostles to provide caring ministry to those in need as recorded in Acts 6.
What’s the Pastor’s Role?
Pastors will always be the primary caregivers, but there is no way pastors can meet all the needs for care. God has called all of us, not just pastors, to minister to one another. Stephen Ministry multiplies ministry by turning pastors into equippers, so they can enable lay people to provide caring ministry as well.
Are You Interested In Exploring Stephen Ministry?
St. Andrew’s Stephen Ministry program is starting a new class this fall. Please consider stopping at the Welcome Table in the Narthex and filling out an application.
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