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Stephen Ministry at Christ Lutheran Church is a program that operates under the auspices of Stephen Ministries, St. Louis (MO), where the Stephen Ministry program was developed over 20 years ago. This is the eighth year of Stephen Ministry at Christ Lutheran Church.
Stephen Ministry is a highly structured and supervised system of confidential lay Christian caregiving. The Pastor is the rostered member of our group, providing pastoral advice and care. Forrest Ehmke and Nancy Powers are trained Stephen Leaders: each initially was trained as a Stephen Minister and later attended a weekend-long training course to prepare them for this leadership position. Forrest is in charge of continuing education/supervision, while Nancy is the referral coordinator. Each Stephen Minister has received over 50 hours of initial training, followed by ongoing “case” supervision and continuing education. Stephen Ministry concentrates on providing emotional and spiritual support to people who are in the midst of a life crisis.
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Our current Stephen Ministers, in addition to the two leaders Forrest and Nancy (seated), are Paul Carlstedt, Judy Smith, Elaine Miller, Donn Bischoff, and Cathy Ehmke (standing). Carol Jones retired from Stephen Ministry after nearly eight faithful years of service. During the past year, several Stephen Ministers provided one-to-one care on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Some care-receivers are members of Christ Lutheran Church, while others are outside of our congregation.
Stephen Ministry meets twice a month from September through May, each meeting lasts from 2 - 3 hours. Summer meetings are usually monthly. The first Thursday of each month, is spent with continuing education in addition to case supervision (confidential review of caregiving relationships). The third Thursday of the month is spent solely on case supervision. Continuing education is provided by outside experts as well as by members of our own group with expertise in pertinent areas. Our educational topics this year included: Bible verses for caring visits, prayer, organ/tissue donor awareness, Alzheimer's and related diseases, effects of divorce on parents and children and holiday stress.
In addition to our structured program of caregiving to individuals, Stephen Ministry has facilitated and participated in a number of programs that have relevance to our mission. We arranged an eight-week series of Sunday afternoon presentations related to “Caring for Ourselves or Our Aging Parents.” We have worked with the “Gift of Life/Donor Awareness” Service, All-Lutheran Candle Lighting for Mental Illness, a Service of Healing Prayers, and made several presentations for better awareness of Stephen Ministry within our congregation.
Beginning January, 2008, Stephen Ministry invites any member of Christ Lutheran Church to participate in our continuing education sessions. If one wishes to attend a session, it would be helpful to let Forrest or Nancy know in advance as refreshments are provided. The sessions begin at 7 PM with an opening devotion by a Stephen Minister and then we move into continuing education followed by refreshments. Following refreshments the Stephen Ministers will continue in private supervision session.
Continuing education sessions confirmed for the first quarter of 2008 are as follows: "Undertaking" - an unique film on death, dying and ritual on January 3. "Ministering to Persons Needing Long Term Care" by Carol Jones on February 7. "Forgiveness" by Pastor Mike on March 6. Other sessions tentatively planned for 2008 include recognizing and responsding to child sexual abuse, suicide, disaster support, domestic violence, holidays and grief and providing support to those in the military.
Stephen Ministry, because of the confidential nature of its work, remains somewhat in the background of life at Christ Lutheran. On the other hand, because of the services provided, Stephen Ministry is one of the most vital of activities that our congregation offers.
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We all know someone ··· someone in crisis that doesn't know where to turn ··· tense, upset, worn out ··· needing someone to talk with, someone to care. You'd like to help. But how?
There are three easy steps.
- Listen and care for your friend in your own relationship together.
- Ask him or her for permission to refer the need. Be sure to tell your friend that everything will be completely confidential.
- Report his or her need as promptly as possible. You can do this by contacting Nancy.
When I refer a need for care how will I know it is kept confidential?
Confidentiality is the foundation of Stephen Ministry. No one but the person involved and his or her Stephen Minister knows what they talk about. As you refer a need, you are the first important link in this process of confidentiality. You can help maintain confidentiality by:
- Never talking about a need unless you have permission from the person to mention it.
- Never asking a Stephen Minister about the caring relationship he or she is a part of.
Confidentiality makes care possible. You can be a part of it.
Stephen Ministry - National and Stephen Ministry - Kansas
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