Are You Interested in Serving as a Stephen Minister?

Your interest in serving in this Christ-centered caring ministry is greatly appreciated. Many folks in the Mountain Park UMC congregation and in the surrounding community are in need of support and encouragement to bear the struggles of life's difficult circumstances. A Stephen Minister can often be the source of strength and hope that brings comfort to someone in the midst of deep personal difficulties.

Before completing the requested information below, please read the following brief Stephen Minister Job Description to help you best determine if God has been preparing your heart and leading you to this wonderful work.

Stephen Minister Job Description

• A Stephen Minister is a member of Mountain Park UMC trained and commissioned to provide one-on-one lay Christian care to an individual of the same gender who is experiencing a personal crisis or other difficult situation.

• A Stephen Minister is a caring Christian friend who walks with a person in need while he/she is facing some of life's difficult circumstances.

• A Stephen Minister is commissioned on behalf of the Mountain Park UMC pastoral staff and congregation to serve a minimum of 24 months after receiving 50 hours of extensive classroom training.

• A Stephen Minister typically meets with his/her care receiver once each week for about 1 hour and may also provide additional support by telephone while the care receiver is experiencing particularly lonely, stressful, or confusing times.

• A Stephen Minister uses special skills to care for his/her care receiver such as listening as the care receiver talks about his/her personal struggles, encouraging the care receiver to recognize, express, and accept his/her feelings, sharing Christian resources (prayer, scripture, blessings) with the care receiver's permission, remaining process-oriented by focusing on the process of caregiving and avoiding attempts to resolve the care receiver's problems, maintaining boundaries to help the care receiver preserve his/her independence while providing the care that is needed, and recommending professional care by recognizing when the care receiver's needs are beyond that which the Stephen Minister is able to provide.

• A Stephen Minister is committed to ensure that all personal information regarding each care receiver and caring relationship is kept confidential at all times.

• A Stephen Minister participates with the entire Mountain Park UMC Stephen Ministry team twice each month for continuing education sessions and to receive small group peer supervision for support, encouragement, and help in caring for those who are facing personal difficulties.

If you are interested in serving as a Stephen Minister at Mountain Park UMC, please complete the Stephen Ministry Volunteer Sign-Up Form by clicking here.