Stephen Ministry at Peace
Peace Lutheran has a long history of providing care and support through the Stephen Ministry program. Even though Stephen Ministry has been around for many years, many people are not aware of what Stephen Ministry is. This is perhaps because so much of the work of Stephen Ministers happens behind the scenes.
Stephen Ministers are trained lay caregivers who provide emotional and spiritual support to people going through difficult times in life, providing hope and healing amid their pain. One good way to describe Stephen Ministry is the “after people.”
Stephen Ministers are There
...after the phone call in the middle of the night that changes life forever
...after the baby comes home, demanding more of her than she ever imagined possible
... after the funeral when everyone has left and his emotions held at bay come crashing in
...after the email announcing a new round of layoffs suddenly appears in her inbox
... after the doctor says, “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing else we can do”
... after the youngest child pulls out of the hug and heads into the dorm—followed by a long drive back to an empty house
...after the retirement community director says, “Welcome to your new home”
...after the divorce papers are served and she wonders if she’ll ever trust anyone again
...after family and friends have heard his story one too many times, but he still needs to talk it out
Through Stephen Ministry, Peace Lutheran has a team of people who are there to provide faithful care and support during the “afters” in life. If you need someone to walk with you in one of these “afters,” please contact the church office to get connected with a caring Stephen Minister.
And if you have gifts of compassion, listening, and providing care, we’d love to talk with you more about becoming a Stephen Minister. Stephen Ministry is such an impactful way to share our gifts and care for others.
This year, we celebrate ten great years of partnership with our Stephen Ministers at Peace Lutheran! We are so proud of these outstanding, trained leaders of faith and all that they do. Peace currently has 11 certified Stephen Ministers who are actively caring for and receiving matches. We also have six Stephen Ministers currently on break (thank you for your service!) and four devoted Stephen Leaders (Robyn Hanisch, Cara Hetland, Lisa Fowler, Pam Tetzlaff), as well as two pastors (Alex, Elizabeth). More than 30 faithful students have been through our program in the past ten years, and we hope to see many more.
A new training class is starting in January. Sign up today at plc.life.