Stephen Ministry

Stressed? Feeling down? Need encouragement? Holy Cross is a Stephen Ministry Caring Congregation. Stephen Ministers don’t just provide care for people experiencing a major crisis. They also provide care and support for people weighed down by the little things in life. We all go through times in our life when we could benefit from a little extra care and attention. That’s what Stephen Ministers are for. If you’re feeling down, lonely, stressed or discouraged, you could benefit from the care, support, and encouragement of a Stephen Minister. It’s free. It’s confidential. And it will really make a difference in your life!

Our Stephen Ministers are members of Holy Cross Lutheran Church who have been trained to provide confidential, one-to-one, Christian care to people who are going through a difficult time. They will listen, care, encourage, pray with and for you, and provide weekly support for you as long as your need persists. You can request a Stephen Minister for yourself or for someone you know (like a friend, neighbor, or relative). Stephen Ministers are members of Holy Cross who have gone through 50 hours of training in providing high-quality Christian care to individuals experiencing a crisis or challenge. Stephen Ministers are each assigned a care receiver and meet with that care receiver for about an hour a week. This caring relationship will last for as long as the care receiver needs it. Common situations where a Stephen Minister can help are:

• Loneliness
• Loss of a spouse
• Retirement changes
• Unemployment
• Despair
• Childbirth
• Hospitalization
• Separation & Divorce
• Grief
• Terminal illness
• Being shut-in
• Most of life’s struggles

It extends the caring ministry of our our pastors to trained, caring lay-ministers who have responded to Christ’s call to:

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” – Galatians 6:2

Stephen Ministry is grounded in Jesus’ command to love one another. Through one-to-one caring and confidential relationships, those who are hurting receive the love and care they need to support them.  A Stephen Minister is not a counsellor or therapist, a problem solver or a casual visitor, but instead a child of God who walks beside a hurting person and a caring Christian friend who really listens. Our Stephen Ministers are ready to bring God’s love and care into your life.

Become a Stephen Minister

Do you have the gift of mercy, encouragement, or intercession?  If so, you may consider God’s direction as to whether you should become a Stephen Minister.  Since 1975, nearly 500,000 Christian men and women from all walks of life have trained and served as Stephen Ministers. Most become Stephen Ministers as a way to serve others—but quickly discover the amazing blessings God gives them in return. Stephen Ministry is our congregation’s one-to-one care giving ministry.  God works through Stephen Ministers to plant a seed of hope and healing in a person whose life seems barren and forlorn because of some crisis or tragedy. Stephen Ministry training will equip you, and our congregation will support you, so that you can show God’s mercy, care, and compassion to another who is hurting.  You will walk beside your care receiver, pray for him or her, and help him or her work through life’s difficulties. Through this ministry God will bring forth new life and renewed faith in both your care receiver and in you as a Stephen Minister. Is God calling you to serve in this way?

Get information about becoming a Stephen Minister

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There is other help available at Holy Cross.  Learn more about how we can help.