Stephen Ministers
Friends,
One of the most beautiful things I have witnessed in my years of ministry is how the body of Christ cares for each other. That means caring in the name of Jesus Christ doesn’t just come from the clergy or church staff. It comes from each and every one of you! Sure, in moments of great crisis like death and tragedy, there is a specific role that calls for clergy. But…beyond those moments of crisis, there are so many other moments that call for the care of laity. In fact, as a follower of Jesus, each and every one of you is called to care for each other.
Stephen Ministry is a powerful ministry that equips laity to care for those who are experiencing difficulties such as grief, divorce, health crisis, caring for a sick loved one, experiencing unemployment, or just generally struggling with the stress of life.
Stephen Ministry draws its name from the book of Acts. In chapter 6, Stephen was chosen to provide caring ministry to those in need. This caring ministry has been a feature of the Christian faith throughout history – and it is at the heart of what Stephen Ministers do.
Stephen Ministers are not clergy or therapists. They are simply caring lay people who have received training and then have committed to offering Christ-centered care to others. I wonder if you are reading this if you might be called to become a Stephen Minister.
On Sunday, August 28 following the 11am services, there will be a lunch in The Loft (C311) for anyone who is interested in learning more about Stephen Ministry. In a church our size, in a city like San Antonio, we could easily have an army of Stephen Minister. In short, we need more people who are willing to care for others.
I pray that as you read this you will listen deeply to see if God might be calling you to be a part of our next Stephen Ministry training class at University.
To learn more about Stephen Ministry from the voice of one of our very own trained Stephen Ministers, Susan Morris, click here.
To RSVP to the Stephen Ministry informational luncheon on August 28 at 12:15pm in The Loft (C311) click here to contact Melissa Supak.
To speak to one of our Stephen Ministry leaders about the upcoming training class, click here to contact Kally Moyer or Jason Morgan.
To speak to someone about receiving the care of a Stephen Minister, click here to contact Kally Moyer or Jason Morgan.
All of the clergy at University are thankful for Stephen Ministry and we pray that their numbers will increase.
Peace,
Pastor Holly