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| First Lutheran Church is a Stephen Ministry Congregation
You may have heard this before, but what does it mean?
What is the program? Stephen Ministry is a system through which lay people are trained and organized to help provide Christian care giving to members of our congregation and community. Stephen Ministry is based on the belief that all Christians are ministers. This expands the services that the church can give in reaching out to hurting people. The beginnings at First Lutheran… First Lutheran started this program in 1995. Pastor Jan Bornhoft and Julie Johnson attended an intensive 2 week Leader’s Training Course in Orlando, Florida. They came back enthused and took on the enormous task of organizing and training the first class of twelve lay people to reach out to our congregation. Since then, two more Stephen Ministers, Dale Schuetz and Clara Shattuck have been trained to assist in the various duties of leaders. A total of 31 caregivers have been trained here at First Lutheran. And about 80 individuals have been ministered to. Praise God!
Who can benefit from this program? As you already know, we have many needs for care in our congregation and community. People are experiencing divorce, grief, terminal illnesses, loss of a job, relocation, an empty nest, retirement, hospitalization, loneliness and many other stresses or challenges. Often people with these needs suffer silently or do not request or receive the level of care they really need. With two and a quarter pastors for 1500 members, one can see that it is impossible for everyone to receive a lot of personal attention. Stephen Ministry expands the care that First Lutheran can offer by equipping and organizing members to provide Christian care. Stephen Ministers are members of First Lutheran who have volunteered to go through 50 hours of training in providing high quality Christian care to individuals experiencing situations already mentioned. How does it work? There is a process that is followed. A leader meets with someone who expressed an interest, explains the program and then determines if it may be helpful and appropriate for the person. A Stephen Minister will be assigned and will begin spending about an hour a week listening and getting acquainted. Everything a care receiver shares with the caregiver is CONFIDENTIAL. The caregiver does not try to solve the problems, but listens, cares, prays and helps the care receiver find his or her own path to healing and wholeness. Bible based program… Our whole program is based on Scripture. In Galations 6, Paul tells us to “bear each others burdens, and in this way fulfills the law of Christ.” In Ephesians 4, Paul talks about pastors and other leaders as gifts God has given the church “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up the body of Christ.” In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul writes “Therefore encourage one another.” God has called us here at First Lutheran Church to minister to one another. Are you hurting? We would also like to reach out to others in our community. If you are one who could benefit from the Stephen Ministry program, please call First Lutheran Church office 763-788-9653. |
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