The Stephen Ministry at Parish of the Epiphany is currently providing one-to-one Christian care to members of our parish. Our ten Stephen Ministers are assigned to ten care receivers and are meeting twice a month in Supervision Groups that provide support for the Ministers during the process. While the Ministers listen to, care for and walk with those going through difficult times in their life, they also describe how much they grow through serving in this ministry.
Care receivers are those struggling through a challenge, such as grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness or some other life crisis. We can add loneliness and isolation as more prominent conditions in the times that we are now living in. Stephen Ministry is there to provide a compassionate companion to those who are hurting.
Anyone in the parish can self-refer for a chat to assess their needs. Those who know others who may be in need can bring it up as an option to them or provide the referral to a member of the Stephen Ministry Leadership team.
The current group of Stephen Ministers are Marie Lee, Neville Lee, Mary Street, Jason Kinchen, Sandra LaPerche, Shukong Ou, Nancy Nies, Susan Almquist, Jennifer Shire, and Ellen Wilson. We are so grateful for their faithfulness to their Care Receivers, especially during such challenging times. Epiphany's Stephen Leaders are Miriam Gelfer, Barbara DeWolfe, Ted Kellogg, Gloria Korta, and Joan O'Connor.
