Think Stephen...

  Mission Statement

 

Galations 6:10a   "Therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people."

Stephen Ministry at Milledgeville First United Methodist Church is committed to serving Jesus Christ through our God-given gifts to provide care and encouragement to those in need.

Are you going through a Difficult Time?

Stephen Ministers are members of our congregation who listen, care , encourage and provide emotional and spiritual support to people who are facing a crisis or going through times. The care you'll receive is confidential, free, and very helpful.

To learn how you- or a friend, neighbor, coworker, or relative - can receive care, talk to a pastor or Stephen Leader.

Stephen Ministers Care!

Stephen Ministers are members of our congregation who receive special training to provide one-to-one Christian Care to people in our congregation and community who are experiencing grief, loneliness,divorce,hospitalization,disability,job loss, and many other life difficulties.

 

To learn how to become- or receive care from- a Stephen Minister, talk to a pastor or Stephen Leader. 

The Caregivers Cross says alot about what sets a Stephen Minister apart from many others who may try to help someone in a time of need. Friends want to help. Family wants to heal. These desires while well intentioned can sometimes be "Results Oriented" - a desire to have a quick fix to a problem.

The Stephen Minister is trained and continues with ongoing supervision by peers in their unique "Process Oriented" approach; which uses attentive and reflective listening with a strong spiritual influence. The Stephen Minister is the care giver while God is the Cure Giver.

The Caregiver Compass has the symbol of Christ at the center and is surrounded by the traits: Compassionate, Full of Faith, Skilled and Trustworthy. All qualities Stephen Ministers aspire to hold.

Who was Stephen?

Stephen was one of seven men chosen from the Hellenists--a Greek-speaking wing of the church--to see that no widows were neglected in the daily distribution of food. He became known as a man "full of grace and power" whose speaking was inspired by the Spirit of God. The Jews brought false witnesses against him, accusing him of speaking against the Jewish law and Temple. Stephen had to stand trial before the Jewish Council. When he accused them of betraying and murdering their Messiah, they stoned him. The outcome was persecution of the Church in Jerusalem, the scattering of believers, and expanded missionary activity elsewhere.

Acts 6:1-6 (New International Version)

Acts 6

The Choosing of the Seven
 1In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."

 5This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

History of Stephen Ministries

In 1975 Rev. Kenneth C. Haugk, Ph.D., a pastor and clinical psychologist, saw that people's needs for care in his congregation and community far exceeded what he alone could provide. He developed materials to train nine of his congregation members to provide quality, one-to-one Christian care to individuals experiencing a life crisis. Upon completion of their training, he commissioned them as "Stephen Ministers" and linked them with people with a variety of needs for care.Stephen Ministry was so successful in his church that other congregations wanted to become involved. Dr. Haugk then founded the Stephen Ministries organization and developed the Stephen Series, which now has been implemented in more than 10,000 congregations representing more than 150 Christian denominations. More than 500,000 laypersons have been trained as Stephen Ministers, who in turn have ministered to more than a million care receivers.

 After more than four years of development, Stephen Ministries launched the ChristCare Series system of small group ministry in 1996. Today more than 900 congregations are using Christ Care Group Ministries.
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