Stephen Ministry

Click on the picture to be directed to www.stephenministry.org or for more information

Stephen Ministry at Chapin 

“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn”  -  Romans 12:15

What Is Stephen Ministry?
Some members of our congregation have been trained to provide confidential, one-on-one Christian care to individuals in our congregation and  Chapin community who are experiencing difficulties in their lives. These are times when you could benefit from the support of a caring Christian friend.

Stephen Ministry is a confidential ministry. The identity of those receiving care and what takes place in each caring relationship remains private. Your Stephen Minister is there to provide the emotional and spiritual care you need when you are facing a crisis or difficulty with things like...

  • loss of a loved one
  • hospitalization
  • divorce or separation
  • loneliness or discouragement
  • spiritual crisis
  • unemployment or a job crisis
  • a terminal illness
  • aging
  • a chronic illness
  • relocation
  • birth, adoption, miscarriage or infertility
  • recovery after an accident or disaster.
  • alone in the house
  • incarceration

How do I get connected to a Stephen Minister?
If you or someone you know could benefit from a Stephen Minister please contact the Chapin Church Office utilizing the link provided or contact the Minister of Congregational Care at 345-2801.  A Stephen Leader will contact you.  We wish to reiterate that all matters pertaining to Stephen Ministry are strictly confidential.   All Stephen Ministry relationships are paired women to women, and men to men.

How do I become a Stephen Minister?
Each applicant is carefully selected when they express an interest in becoming a Stephen Minister. Training classes are held approximately two hours each week for six months (50 hours) to instruct you in distinctively Christian care-giving skills. If you are interested in learning more about becoming a Stephen Minister please fill out an application utilizing the link provided or contact the church office at 345-2801 and a Stephen Leader will contact you.  

Log on to www.stephenministries.org for more information and ministry news.

 

 

Want to know more?
Call the church office at 803.345-2801.

Press Releases

Stephen Ministry Expands Caregiving at

Chapin United Methodist Church

 

Four members of Chapin United Methodist Church were among 359 pastors and congregation leaders at a Stephen Series Leader’s Training Course (LTC) held from January 9, 2011 – January 15, 2011 in Orlando, Fl.   Paul Allen, Eldon Armstrong, Bill Schreck and Mary Lou Weatherford attended the one-week training event hosted by the St. Louis based Stephen Ministries organization.  Participants came from across the U.S. and Canada to learn how to implement and direct Stephen Ministry, a system of Christian caregiving, in their congregations.

“Stephen Ministry gives Chapin Methodist an effective way to train and organize members to provide one-to-one Christian care to individuals struggling with a crisis like grief, divorce, loneliness, relocation, hospitalization, a terminal illness, or unemployment,” said Rev. Jody Flowers.  “The need for this type of care greatly exceeds what pastors alone can provide.  All Christians are called to care for and love one another – it’s not just the pastor’s job.  By equipping laypeople we can help them fulfill their calling as Christians and also expand the amount of caring ministry available through Chapin Methodist.

Paul Allen, Eldon Armstrong, Bill Schreck and Mary Lou Weatherford were trained as Stephen Leaders at the event.  One of their next steps will be to recruit, select, and train members of Chapin Methodist to be Stephen Ministers, the ones who will provide one-to-one care.  They will then match each Stephen Minister with an individual in need of care and provide the Stephen Ministers with ongoing supervision and continuing education.

Stephen Ministry began in 1975 when Dr. Kenneth C. Haugk, a pastor and clinical psychologist in St. Louis, Missouri, trained parishioners to help meet the needs for care in his congregation.  The ministry was so successful that other congregations have become involved in Stephen Ministry.  They represent over 150 Christian denominations and come from all 50 states, 10 Canadian provinces, and 24 other countries.

The Stephen Ministries organization annually hosts six Leader’s Training Courses across the U.S.  At these courses, more than 55,000 pastors and church leaders have been trained as Stephen Leaders.  They in turn have trained more than 500,000 church members as Stephen Ministers.  It is estimated that more than one million people have received the formal care of a Stephen Minister, and millions more have been touched in an informal way.

“One of the highlights of the LTC was that people from dozens of denominations set aside their differences for seven days and became unified in a single mission:  how to bring Christ’s healing love to hurting individuals,” said Mary Lou Weatherford, one of the Stephen Leaders.