Brentwood UMC
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Informational Video about Stephen Ministry that is featured on PBS's "Religion & Ethics Newsweekly website.
 
 
 

 Stephen Ministry at Brentwood UMC
 
 

When someone you know is in need...
Stephen Ministers care. 

Stephen Ministry is grounded in Jesus' command to love one another.
Through confidential one-to-one caring relationships, those who are hurting receive the love, care, and support they need. 

 
 
 
Who are Stephen Ministers?
Stephen Ministers are lay Christians trained a minimum of 50 hours and supervised by clergy and trained Stephen Leaders to provide effective Christian care to others in our community (both BUMC members and non-members).
 
What do Stephen Ministers do?
The best way to address this question is with an analogy:

Our pastors are like firefighters – when a crisis happens, they rush to the scene to put out the fire. But just after that fire, sure enough, another fire will break out in our
congregation, and they rush off to that scene. They still provide care to the victim of the first fire, but their time quickly becomes consumed by the second, third, and fourth fires. AND this is ON TOP of their other duties as pastors.

This is where Stephen Ministers come in. Pastors will always be our firefighters, but our Stephen Ministers are people who come in after the fire is put out (and sometimes before) and help the people who are affected sort through and clear the debris and begin to rebuild their lives.

Stephen Ministers continue to give care as long as needed during the rebuilding process – this can be anywhere from one month to one year. They provide the steady, consistent one-to-one follow-up care that our pastors want to ensure. A Stephen Minister walks alongside the person for as long as he or she needs care, bringing unconditional love and acceptance to the person as Jesus taught us.
 
Those in need include but are not limited to:
•    Those who are separated or divorced
•    Those who are aging or elderly
•    New members of our community or church
•    Those who are alone, lonely or discouraged
•    Prisoners, ex-offenders and their families
•    Those facing life transitions
•    Those with disabilities or their families
•    Members of the Sandwich Generation
•    Those who are hospitalized
•    Those who are terminally ill or their family members
•    Those in spiritual crisis
•    Those who are home-centered or institutionalized
•    Those grieving a death or serious loss
•    Those needing support from a Christian friend
•    Those in a job crisis
•    Family members of those that are in crisis
 
WHO BENEFITS?

Anyone going through difficult times who needs someone to:
  • Care
  • Listen
  • Support
  • Share on a one-to-one confidential basis

 What Kind of Man Would Receive the Care of a Stephen Minister? 
 
 Author: Stephen Ministry Publications, September 2001
 

 
Contact:
 
Rev. Kaye Harvey
Pastor of Congregational Care
615-373-3663
 
Dee Glossinger
Referrals Coordinator
615-373-3690 x394
 
EMERGENCY: call the Pastor-on-Call @ 615-969-3086 or the Community Crisis Line @ 615-244-7444.
 
The referral process:
  • You are or a loved one is hurting and in need of Christian care.
  • Contact the Pastor of Congregational Care, Rev. Kaye Harvey, at 373-3663 ext. 257 or at kharvey@bumc.net, or the Referrals Coordinator Dee Glossinger at 373-3690 ext. 394.
  • Kaye or Dee will discuss your or your loved one's particular needs and explain the process to you. 
  • With your permission, a Stephen Minister will be assigned to you.
  • After speaking with your loved one and obtaining his/her permission, a Stephen Minister will be assigned to him/her. 
  • The Stephen Minister will contact you or your loved one directly to schedule a first meeting.
  • The Stephen Minister will continue to provide distinctively Christian care for you or your loved one in strict confidentiality.
 
For information about Stephen Ministry nation-wide: