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If you are experiencing a personal crisis, you don’t need to walk
through it alone. A Stephen Minister is ready to walk beside you...
For more information or if you have any
questions; please speak with Pastor Skip McDowell or a Stephen Leader
here at St. Paul’s:
Beth McElvenney
610-853-2444
Hazel Pelletreau
610-284-6835
Toni Whaley
610-896-7193
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“Bear one another’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the law of
Christ.”
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What Is a Stephen Minister?
Stephen Ministers are volunteer lay ministers who
provide one-on-one spiritual and emotional care focusing on their care
receivers’ needs. They offer care, support, and encouragement to people
whose lives have been turned upside down by crisis or tragedy. They
minister through active listening, a caring presence, and prayer.
Applicants are carefully selected because their
gifts, capabilities, and life experiences compliment their interest in
care giving. They are equipped with over 50 hours of intensive training,
covering such topics as: listening, feelings, boundaries, assertiveness,
and using Christian resources in caregiving.
Who Needs a Stephen Minister?
A person whose life has been turned upside down by crisis or tragedy
would benefit from a Stephen Minister. Such persons have, for the most
part, their basic coping skills intact, their thinking in order, and
their emotions under control. They can meet the routine demands of
everyday life and would likely overcome their challenges even without
the assistance of a Stephen Minister, but not as quickly or as
effectively.
If you are dealing with any of the following, you may
need a Stephen Minister
 | Chronic or terminal illness |
| A family member going through illness or disability |
| Loneliness or discouragement |
| Death of a loved one |
| Divorce or separation |
| Pregnancy, adoption, miscarriage or infertility |
| Self esteem problems |
| Unemployment or job loss |
| Relocation / moving transitions |
| Financial setbacks |
| Aging and elderly |
| Faith issues / Spiritual Crisis |
…. And many more
Confidentiality
Trust is essential to a caring relationship, and Stephen Ministers are
people you can trust. Confidentiality is one of the most important
principles of Stephen Ministry, and what a care receiver tells
his or her Stephen Minister is kept in strictest confidence.
How Can I Connect
with a Stephen Minister?
If you think a Stephen Minister can help you (or a fellow member of St. Paul’s), contact one of
the Pastors or a Stephen Leader (Beth, Hazel or Toni)
One of our Stephen
Leaders will talk with you, and get you connected with a Stephen
Minister who will meet with you regularly during your time of need.
How Can I Serve in this Ministry?
| Pray for the Stephen Leaders, the Stephen Ministers, and
the individuals receiving care. |
| Apply to become a Stephen Minister so that you will be able to give
care to those in need. |
| Refer someone you know who is in need to the
Stephen Ministry so he/she can receive care. |
| Be part of our Stephen Ministry Support Team: help provide meals during in-house training retreats, support
the Stephen Leaders, and pray for the ministry. |
Who Is Involved?
Stephen Leaders
are the ones who oversee and direct our Stephen Ministry. They recruit,
select, train, organize, and supervise our Stephen Ministers, identify
people in need of care, and match them with a Stephen Minister.
Pastor McDowell, Beth McElvenney, Hazel Pelletreau and Toni
Whaley are our Stephen Leaders.
Stephen Ministers
are the caregivers. They have been through 50 hours of training in
Christian caregiving, including topics such as listening, feelings,
boundaries, assertiveness, and using Christian resources in caregiving.
Their continuing education training also covers specialized topics such
as ministering to the divorced, hospitalized, bereaved, and aging.
Our Stephen Ministers are:
Carolyn Ashburn, Lucille Byrne, Barbara and Larry Dieter, Barb
Keyser, Pat Miles, Diane Pringle, Maria Simms and Lisa Lexa-Wilson.
Care receivers
are the recipients of a Stephen Minister's care. They are people from
our church who are experiencing divorce, grief, loss of a job,
loneliness, hospitalization, terminal illness, or any of an endless
number of other life difficulties. Stephen Ministers usually meet with
their care receivers once a week for about an hour for as long as the
care receiver will benefit from the relationship.
Stephen Ministry Nook at
St. Paul’s
Have you been to the
Stephen Ministry Nook lately?
It’s located on the 2nd floor between the elevator and the Kugler
Room. Check out the
bookcase which has a few articles and brochures about this exciting
ministry. We also have
started to compile a Resource Manual Notebook.
This Resource Manual
includes information on various agencies and organizations that might be
helpful to people who are going through hard times.
Topics include: Child
Development, Autism, Divorce Mediation, CHIP, Food Stamps, Inglis House
and Kencrest. We also have
some information that might be helpful to the elderly:
Senior Helpers, Bayada Nurses; Dunwoody, Hospice, ElderNet and
Liberty at Home. There
is also information about a Widow and Widowers Counseling service.
If you have had to do
some research on a topic or know about an agency that might be helpful
to others in the congregation and would be willing to share that
information, please contact Beth McElvenney (bethmcelvenney@yahoo.com).
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