Stephen Ministry
Oct 01, 2010
everal weeks ago our parish decided to enroll in the Stephen Series system of lay caring ministry, developed by Stephen Ministries, a nonprofit religious and educational organization based in St. Louis, Missouri. We will be developing a lasting program of caring ministry through the Stephen Series system of training and organization. This model of ministry is already working in thousands of congregations throughout North America and is equipping laypeople to minister to others who are in need.
As we begin our journey in the Stephen Series, members of our parish who sense a call to this vital ministry will be encouraged to undertake 50 hours of training in Christian caring skills under the guidance of the community of churches in Carlsbad already involved in Stephen Ministry. This training will prepare the participants to care for others, covering such areas as how to maintain confidentiality, how to deal with people experiencing crises, and many other areas of concern. A Christ-centered approach to caring and the need to care for the whole person will be stressed throughout the training.
This will be an exciting time for Grace Church. The Stephen Series will not only multiply the amount of caring ministry that goes on in our parish, but will also deepen the level of participation by laypeople in the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. If you have questions about this new form of ministry we are undertaking, please feel free to ask me. In the meantime, I would like you to keep our parish in your thoughts and prayers as we prepare for this major step forward in our lay caring ministry.
Grace & peace,
Fr. Rod+
As we begin our journey in the Stephen Series, members of our parish who sense a call to this vital ministry will be encouraged to undertake 50 hours of training in Christian caring skills under the guidance of the community of churches in Carlsbad already involved in Stephen Ministry. This training will prepare the participants to care for others, covering such areas as how to maintain confidentiality, how to deal with people experiencing crises, and many other areas of concern. A Christ-centered approach to caring and the need to care for the whole person will be stressed throughout the training.
This will be an exciting time for Grace Church. The Stephen Series will not only multiply the amount of caring ministry that goes on in our parish, but will also deepen the level of participation by laypeople in the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. If you have questions about this new form of ministry we are undertaking, please feel free to ask me. In the meantime, I would like you to keep our parish in your thoughts and prayers as we prepare for this major step forward in our lay caring ministry.
Grace & peace,
Fr. Rod+