The Stephen Series provides congregations with the structure, training, and resources to set up and administer a complete system for lay caring ministry (called Stephen Ministry) in the congregation. In Stephen Ministry congregations, lay caregivers (called Stephen Ministers) provide one-to-one Christian care to the bereaved, hospitalized, terminally ill, separated, divorced, unemployed, relocated, and others facing a crisis or life challenge. Stephen Ministry helps pastors and congregations provide quality caring ministry for as long as people need it.

My Church Wanted to Care"
Beverly could not possibly have anticipated the tragic turn her life would take when she kissed her husband David good-bye after lunch that day. Recalls Beverly, "He said, 'I'll see you later,' and left. I never saw him again."

On his way back to work David died instantly in a traffic accident. Because of the nature his injuries, Beverly didn't see his body. "I never had closure," she said. "I knew he was dead, but in some ways I didn't believe it. I was in shock, I couldn't even cry.

"Seven weeks after the accident, I was alone and visiting his grave. That's when I finally realized he was gone. I fell apart. I remember thinking, 'If I was sick, I'd go to the doctor. If I had a toothache, I'd go to the dentist.' I had a spiritual problem, but I didn't know where to go. When I looked across the cemetery, I saw my church in the distance. That's where I went.

"My church had provided some immediate care, but I needed more. I needed someone to hold my hand through the days and weeks ahead, to point me in the right direction and walk with me. My church wanted to care, but just didn't have the resources to provide the ongoing care I needed."

Then Beverly heard about Stephen Ministry from a friend in another state. "I began calling churches in my area and asking if they had Stephen Ministry. I finally found one in a neighboring town. I went there and met with one of their Stephen Leaders, and I was assigned a Stephen Minister. We've been meeting ever since. My Stephen Minister has given me a reason to go on. She encourages me to grieve and gives me a safe place to do that. She helps me remember to take small steps as I continue to grow in the Lord."

With the encouragement and support of her Stephen Minister, Beverly began to piece her life together again. But her story does not stop there. Having benefited from Stephen Ministry in another congregation, she decided to bring it to her own congregation.

"We have so many needs for care in my own congregation, and there are people who may not be strong enough or persistent enough to find the care they need. They are out there pulling the covers over their heads. I want to help hurting people who are all alone in their pain."

After much prayer and discussion with her pastor, Beverly gave a donation in memory of her husband to get Stephen Ministry started at First Congregational Church. "I had wanted to bring Stephen Ministry to our church for a long time," said Beverly's pastor. "And now the time was right."
Beverly's congregation enrolled in the Stephen Series, and she, her pastor, and another layperson attended a Leader's Training Course. The three of them have now equipped a team of Stephen Ministers who have multiplied the caring ministry happening in and through their congregation.

"Stephen Ministry is the good that is coming from my bad situation," said Beverly. "I want others to benefit from a Stephen Minister's care when they go through a crisis, just like I did. I know I couldn't have survived this past year of my life without my Stephen Minister."

Would you like to hear Stephen Ministers and care receivers tell how God has touched their lives through their Stephen Ministry caring relationships?

Please contact the Church Office for more information on becoming a Stephen Minister: 303.452.0448.