when can a stephen minister help you?

Stephen Ministry is for anyone going through a rough patch in their lives. 


Stephen Ministers have helped people dealing with:

 

            Children leaving or returning home

            

            Divorce or separation

            

            Loneliness or discouragement

 

            Unemployment

 

            Retirement

 

            Chronic or terminal illness

 

            Loss of a loved one

 

            Birth, adoption, miscarriage or infertility

 

            Aging

 

            Relocation

            Spiritual crises

 

            Caregiving for another

 

            And, almost any other situation.

 

There is no issue too seemingly trivial and rarely any issue too great that a Stephen Minister cannot address with you.  In the unlikely event the issue is something that requires more assistance than a Stephen Minister can provide, your Stephen Minister can assist you in obtaining the necessary resources to address your concern.

My Stephen Ministry story

Listen to this story of how Christ's care was experienced through the help of a Stephen Minister: 

What does a stephen minister do?

Simply put, a Stephen Minister shows up.  Your Stephen Minister walks beside you and listens in a non-judgmental manner to your concerns. In an open and caring way, he or she may ask questions, offer suggestions and undergird everything with relevant scripture and prayer. Usually, your Stephen Minister will meet with you an hour every week or so and will walk with you as long as needed to find your way out of the rough patch you have been traveling through.

 

Here are stories shared by actual persons who have had a Stephen Minister explaining how the Stephen Ministry relationship has helped them.  By the way, none of these folks are congregants of Orchard Park Presbyterian Church but all reflect sentiments shared by those who have received care from a Stephen Minister here.  And, each volunteered to share their story.

who is a stephen minister?

A Stephen Minister is a member of Orchard Park Presbyterian Church who has been selected for his or her caregiving skills.  Every Stephen Minister has received 50 hours of initial training in providing emotional and spiritual care and attends monthly continuing education on related topics and peer support.  Your Stephen Minister will use this training as he or she faithfully meets with you for an hour every week or so for as long as the need exists.

need help?

If you are interested in meeting with a Stephen Minister or know of someone who would benefit from such a caring relationship, please contact the church office at 317 844-1107 or directly contact one of the following Stephen Leaders:

 

Rev. Mike Samson      317 844-1107 x.20, msamson@orchardpark.org

Nancy McDonald        317 377-4276

Elsie Potts                    317 270-4570

Marty Rugh                 317 255-0128

Mike Andrews            317 848-5061

a brief history of Stephen Ministry

Stephen Ministry at Orchard Park Presbyterian Church is part of a larger nonprofit religious organization founded in 1975 by Dr. Kenneth C. Haugk, a pastor and clinical psychologist.  While serving as pastor of a St. Louis congregation, Dr. Haugk saw a need for care that exceeded what he alone could provide.  The very first Stephen Ministers were nine congregation members trained to work with him in providing caring ministry.  The ministry was so successful that the decision was made to offer the program to other congregations.  Stephen Ministries St. Louis was founded to equip congregations to train laity for this ministry.  

 

Since Stephen Ministries was founded in 1975, more than 13,000 congregations from many different denominations have enrolled in the Stephen Ministries program. More than 70,000 pastors and lay leaders from those congregations have been equipped to lead the programs at Leader’s Training Courses.  More than 600,000 lay people have received Stephen Minister training and more than 1.5 million people have had a Stephen Minister to walk with them providing one-to-one Christian caring during a rough patch in their lives.

 

Orchard Park Presbyterian Church has been continuously enrolled as a Stephen Ministry Congregation since 1986.  This makes us one of the longest serving continuous Stephen Ministry programs in the country.  Since enrollment, we have sent 13 members for a week consisting of 50 hours of Stephen Leader training at Stephen Ministries regional training conferences.  Those Stephen Leaders have trained 121 Stephen Ministers to provide confidential, high quality, one-to-one Christian care for hurting people in our congregation and community.  However, we cannot tell you how many persons have had a Stephen Minister. Because we take confidentiality so seriously, all records regarding a person who is receiving care are destroyed once the relationship ends.