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Stephen Ministry in St. Michael's Parish Four members of St. Michael's Church were among 569 pastors and congregation leaders at
a Fr. Peter Clifford, Deborah Housel, Diana and Jack Dubler attended the seven-day training event hosted by the St. Louis-based Stephen Ministries organization. Participants came from across the U.S. and Canada to learn how to implement and direct Stephen Ministry, a system of Christian caregiving, in their congregation. "Stephen Ministry gives St. Michael's Church an effective way to train and organize members to provide one-to-one Christian care to individuals struggling with a crisis like grief, divorce, loneliness, relocation, hospitalization, a terminal illness, or unemployment," said Fr. Clifford. "The need for this type of care greatly exceeds what pastors alone can provide. All Christians are called to care for and love one another - it's not just the pastor's job. By equipping lay people, we can help them fulfill their calling as Christians and also expand the amount of caring ministry available through St. Michael's Church. All four participants were commissioned as "Stephen Leaders" at the conclusion of the event. One of their next steps will be to recruit, select, and train members of St. Michael's Church to be "Stephen Ministers," the ones who will provide one-to-one care. They will then match each Stephen Minister with an individual in need of care and provide the Stephen Ministers with ongoing supervision and continuing education. Stephen Ministry began in 1975 when Dr. Kenneth C. Haugk, a pastor and clinical psychologist, trained parishioners to help meet the needs for care in his congregation. The ministry was so successful that other congregations became interested, and Haugk founded the Stephen Ministries organization. Since then, over 6,000 congregations have become involved in Stephen Ministry. They represent 80 denominations and come from all 50 states, seven Canadian provinces and 17 other countries. Stephen Ministries annually hosts six Leader's Training Courses across the U.S. At these courses, over 30,000 pastors and church leaders have been trained as Stephen Leaders. They, in turn, have trained over 200,000 church members as Stephen Ministers. An estimated half-million people have received the formal care of a Stephen Minister, and millions more have been touched in an informal way. For more information about St. Michael's Church's Stephen Ministry, contact Jack Dubler at 331-6181. To learn how your church can become involved, contact Stephen Ministries, 2045 Innerbelt Business Dr., St. Louis, Missouri 63114, (314)428-2600. Copyright © 1998 |
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Stephen Series Leader's Training Course held August 2-8 in
Baltimore, Maryland.