Stephen Ministries is named for Stephen, one of seven men commissioned by the Apostles to organize and distribute food among the poor, thereby relieving the Apostles of that duty (Acts 6:1-4). Stephen Ministries was founded in 1975 by Kenneth C. Haugk, Ph.D, a pastor and a clinical psychologist. Born out of his personal experience (his wife lost her battle with cancer) and professional life experiences. Since its conception, 11,319 congregations or other organizations, in 24 additional countries, representing 162 denominations, with over 500,000 people trained as Stephen Ministers.

Stephen Ministries is a scripted system that prepares future Stephen Ministers (care givers) to walk with those in need (care receivers). Care givers are not counselors or “fixers.” As Dr. Haugk says in his book, “Christian Care Giving,” “Christians are
responsible for care; God is responsible for the cure.” Who is a Stephen Minister? You are, if you feel God drawing you to this ministry. Has He provided you with the gifts needed to serve Him in this capacity?

This is not without sacrifice and time commitment! Will you make the necessary requirement of 50 hours of training and 2 year service? Both men and women are needed to serve as care givers and receivers will be matched by gender.

We will begin with an initial informational meeting August 19th (9:45 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.). These informational meetings will be followed up with scheduled interviews with the leadership team. In September, we will begin the training. Please, search your heart and pray. If you want more details before the scheduled meetings, don’t hesitate to call one of us; Pastor Brandon at 686-0004, TeAnne at 686-1126 or Billie at 688-1220.