Stephen Ministry is a caring and confidential, one-on-one relationship with a trained individual who will listen, encourage and explore issues of concern. We provide emotional and spiritual support to members of Northside as well as to those who live in the community who are experiencing difficult times.

 

To learn more about how Stephen Ministry can help you, watch this video, which was produced by Stephen Ministries based in St. Louis.

A Stephen Minister is…

 

  •         A child of God who walks beside a person who is hurting.
  •         A congregation member with gifts for care-giving who was carefully selected to serve in this role.
  •         A lay person who has received 50 hours of training in providing emotional and spiritual care.
  •         A caring, Christian friend who listens, cares, prays, supports and encourages.
  •         Someone who will “be there” for his or her care receiver, meeting faithfully for about an hour each week, for as long as there’s a need.

 

 

 

Stephen Ministers Care for People Facing Tough Times

We all experience challenges in life – times when we could benefit from the support of a caring Christian friend. Stephen Ministers are ready to provide the emotional and spiritual care we need when faced with a crisis or difficulty such as-

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

 

Stephen Ministry is YOUR ministry

You play an important role in our Stephen Ministry. Here’s what you can do:

 

  •         Pray for God to bring hope and healing to hurting people through our Stephen Ministry.
  •         Accept care from a Stephen Minister during your time of need. God doesn’t expect you to bear your burdens alone.
  •        Tell a friend, neighbor, coworker or relative who is hurting about our Stephen Ministry.

 

If you’ve made any of the statements below to yourself, or to others recently, perhaps you, too, could benefit from being connected with a Stephen Minister.

  •         “When she said that she wanted a divorce, my world ended.”
  •         “I’m really frightened about this operation.”
  •         “Since my husband died, I’m just not interested in anything.”
  •         “Losing my job has devastated me.”
  •         “Having a baby should be happy times but I’m overwhelmed.”
  •         “I just don’t know where to turn.”
  •         “We just moved here and don’t have any friends.”
  •         “If I’d only known what a Stephen Minister would mean to me, I would have asked for one sooner.”
  •         “It’s hard to ask for help.”
  •         “My time with a Stephen Minister gave me a chance to talk with a friend I could trust to maintain confidentiality.”

 

To learn more about receiving care or becoming a Stephen Minister, please contact Betsy Walker at 678.298.5033, option 1 or BetsyW@NorthsideUMC.org. You can also fill out the Stephen Ministry form here. To learn more about how Stephen Ministry can help you, watch this video, which was produced by Stephen Ministries based in St. Louis.

Click here to fill out the Stephen Ministry form.

Northside Church is a congregation affiliated with Stephen Ministries, its practices and training.