Stephen Ministry first training meeting

First Stephen Minister training went very well. We have eight individuals, probably six of whom will continue with a care receiver at the end of their training, and two individuals from another church attending training. It is a huge blessing to a congregation to have individuals coming forward who are willing to be trained to be effective Christian caregivers. What makes Stephen Ministry different is their distinctively Christian attitude -- prayer, scripture, faith issues -- but also the Christian attitudes of love, acceptance, openness, and reflective listening. We do not offer advice, we do not talk about ourselves, we listen carefully to what is being said, both the words and what is not being stated, and help individuals to clarify for themselves what is going on in life and how to deal with situations. Very often those people who are in need are in need because of life situations -- death in the family, diagnoses, loss, major life changes, etc. And who of us do not go through some situation like that where it would be helpful to have a listening focused friend to talk with? We thank God for the gifts that are brought to this ministry and for the individual's courage to step out in faith to share hurts with others.