Stephen Ministry

Saint Stephen's is a Stephen Ministry congregation.  Stephen Ministry is an ecumenical program designed to support lay persons in giving pastoral care to those in need.  The Rev'd Deacon Bill and Mary Lynne Bumgarner are trained Stephen Leaders and organize and oversee the training of others to become Stephen Ministry Caregivers.  Saint Stephen's currently has ten persons who are trained as caregivers.

The Stephen Series is a complete system for training  and organizing lay people to provide one-to-one Christian care to hurting people in and around your congregation.

The Stephen Series provides congregations with the structure, training, and resources to set up and administer a complete system for lay caring ministry (called Stephen Ministry) in the congregation. In Stephen Ministry congregations, lay caregivers (called Stephen Ministers) provide one-to-one Christian care to the bereaved, hospitalized, terminally ill, separated, divorced, unemployed, relocated, and others facing a crisis or life challenge.

Stephen Ministry helps pastors and congregations provide quality caring ministry for as long as people need it.