Care Ministry/Stephen Ministry
The goal of Stephen Ministry is best described in Ephesians 4:12-13: To equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. (Ephesians 4:12-13)
Stephen Ministers are lay people in our congregation who are ready to provide emotional and spiritual care to individuals in our community who are experiencing difficulties and crises in their lives. Stephen Ministers are equipped through an extensive 8-month training course. Sometimes Stephen Minsters are called The After People because they come alongside a hurting person after the loss of a loved one, after a divorce, after a cancer diagnosis, or after any number of other life difficulties and provide one-to-one, Christ-centered care for as long after as needed.