Stephen Ministry

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Overview

Stephen Ministry is a multi-national Christian caregiving ministry founded in 1975 with over 13,000 participating congregations and more than 600,000 people trained as Stephen Ministers.

  • Stephen Ministry is a lay ministry program that equips people to provide Christian care to those experiencing any type of life need. Through a confidential, one-on-one caring relationship with a Stephen Minister, someone experiencing challenging times can receive the care and support that they need.
  • As a lay ministry, this care is not designed to replace professional counseling, but rather is meant to offer a trained lay person to walk alongside a fellow Christian who is experiencing pain.
  • Stephen Minsters at St. Mary’s Parish are parishioners from all walks of life, but they all share a passion for bringing Christ’s love and care to people during a time of need.

For more information please click on the links below:

Stephen Ministry Fact Sheet
Organization Information
What is a Stephen Minister?

Our Mission

We are a Christ-centered ministry of presence, inspired by the Holy Spirit.  As trained lay caregivers, we walk with others in challenging times.
We offer confidential, non-judgmental caring and prayerful listening.  This sacred, structured time is a witness to Jesus and an opportunity for God’s comfort.

Caregivers

  • Stephen Ministry caregivers are St. Mary’s parishioners who have had over 50 hours of training, in order to provide one-to-one care to those experiencing a difficult time in life, such as, grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, or relocation.
  • Stephen Ministers come from all walks of life, and all share a passion for bringing Christ’s love and care to people.
  • As part of the Stephen Ministry team, caregivers meet twice a month for Support and Continuing Education about resources and skills needed to best serve those in need.
  • If you are experiencing some of life’s many challenges, and interested in having a Stephen Minister, phone the parish at 860-658-7627 and a Stephen Leader will visit with you about being matched with a Stephen Minister. This person would meet with you to listen, care, encourage, and provide emotional and spiritual support. The caring relationship lasts as long as the need for care exists.

Standing:  Linda Duff, Jeff Ryan, Sharon Locandro (on screen), Diana Kalamarides, Linda McGurn, Kevin Schultz,
Amyjean Silling, Jon Hughes, Fay Lenz, Laurie Jano, Mary Ann Pappano

Seated: Aida Marcktell, Carol Storey, Dianne Mead, June Lemis, Mike Duff, Karyl Carlson

Floor: Diane Albergo, Melanie Livingston, Mary Blume, Dennis Duff, Colleen Yates (front)

Continuing Education

Continuing Education is a critical part of the Stephen Ministry process.

  • We are constantly working toward improving our knowledge and skills to better serve those in need. Training for Stephen Ministers does not end with commissioning!
  • We participate in meaningful Continuing Education each month that expands our understanding and gives depth to our caregiving.
  • Continuing education along with supervision is an important way we support our Stephen Ministers.

Training

Stephen Ministers receive 50 hours of care ministry training.  The training is led by the congregation’s Stephen Leaders—those who attend a one-week Stephen Series Leader’s Training Course.

Stephen Minister training is an engaging, energizing experience that features a mixture of presentation, video, group discussion, skill practice, and spiritual growth activities. Since 1975, more than 600,000 Stephen Ministers have been equipped by this training to provide care to millions of people.

Stephen Minister training . . .

  • teaches principles and skillsengaging, and a lot of fun!
  • gives you new insight into the thoughts, feelings, and actions of people who are hurting.
  • equips you with relational and caring skills you can apply to all aspects of life.
  • helps deepen your faith as the Holy Spirit fashions you into a Christ-centered caregiver.
  • is highly interactive, engaging, and a lot of fun!

Initial Training

Stephen Ministers’ initial training covers essential caregiving topics that give trainees a solid foundation for offering distinctively Christian care to people going through a variety of life challenges.

  1. The Person of the Caregiver
  2. Feelings: Yours, Mine, and Ours
  3. The Art of Listening
  4. Distinctively Christian Caring
  5. A Process Approach to Caring
  6. Assertiveness: Relating Gently and Firmly
  7. Maintaining Boundaries in Caregiving
  8. Crisis Theory and Practice
  9. Confidentiality
  10. Caring between Visits: Caregiving and Communications Technology
  11. Using Mental Health Professionals and Other Community Resources
  12. Ministering to Those Experiencing Grief
  13. Caring for Those with Depression: The Stephen Minister’s Role
  14. Understanding Suicide: How to Help People Get the Care They Need
  15. Bringing the Caring Relationship to a Close
  16. Supervision: A Key to Quality Christian Care
  17. How to Make a First Caring Visit
  18. Go—God Is with You!

Resources

Below are just a sampling of the many resources Stephen Ministries provides to support caring for those in need:

  • The national Stephen Ministry organization has created a website with an extensive number of resources that are available to all Stephen Ministers to support quality Christian caregiving.  www.stephenministries.org.
  • St Mary’s Library: Stephen Ministry has created binders filled with local resources and organizations ready to help and support people in crisis and need..  

Stephen Ministry at St. Mary’s

Stephen Ministry Leaders:

  • Linda Duff
  • Linda McGurn
  • Sharron Locandro