Stephen Ministry at First Church
Who are Stephen Ministers? 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?
No, they are trained lay care-givers. Their role is to listen and care,
not to give advice or counsel. Stephen Ministers are also trained to
recognize when a care receiver's need exceeds what they can provide. When
that happens, they work with the care receiver to help them receive the level of
care they really need.
Can I Trust a Stephen Minister?
Trust
is essential to 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
strictest 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.
As a Stephen Ministry congregation, First Presbyterian
congregation is part of a big network of care. There are thousands of
Stephen Ministry congregations representing more than 90 Christian denominations
across the U.S., Canada, and the world.
The Stephen Ministry headquarters is based in St. Louis,
Missouri, and can connect our Stephen Leaders with Stephen Ministry
congregations virtually everywhere in the country. If you have a friend or
relative far away who is in need of care, talk to one of our Stephen Leaders,
they may be able to connect your friend to a Stephen Ministry congregation in
his or her own neighborhood.
If you have a concern or issue that is on your mind and have
no one to talk to, please reach out and let us help you. You can call the
church office at 814-333-2161 to arrange an appointment or call Travis Webster
at the church.
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