STEPHEN MINISTRY
Immanuel has had a long history with Stephen Ministry and has recently revived their program. Pastor Arnold Palmer, Immanuel’s Associate Pastor is the head of our Stephen Mininstry Program, who along with Pat Johnson and Pastor Nate, provide leadership for this special caregiving ministry.
Stephen Ministers are congregation members trained by Stephen Leaders to offer high-quality, one-to-one Christian care to people going through tough times. A Stephen Minister usually provides care to one person at a time, meeting with that person once a week for about an hour. Twice a month, Stephen Ministers gather with their Stephen Leaders for supervision and continuing education. If you think you have gifts for this ministry, contact Pastor Arnold.
Care receivers are people—congregation members and others in the community—who receive care from a Stephen Minister. These are people struggling through a difficult time in life—experiencing grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, or some other life crisis.
Some important guidelines for this caring relationship protect both the care receiver and the Stephen Minister:
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The relationship between a care receiver and a Stephen Minister is confidential.
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Men are matched with men; women with women.
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When a care receiver’s needs exceed what a Stephen Minister can provide, the Stephen Ministry team makes a referral to an appropriate mental health professional or other community resource
If you feel you could benefit from a Stephen Minister, please contact Pastor Arnold.