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Stephen Ministry has been an important part of pastoral care at St. Paul's for over 12 years. This ministry offers one-to-one
caring by trained lay people to persons experiencing difficulties in their life journey.
In
the past year, St. Paul's Stephen Ministry program underwent a transition to a new type of leadership structure. For 10 years,
Mary Miller had tirelessly served many roles as a Stephen Ministry Leader, recruiting members of the parish to serve, providing
annual training sessions for new Stephen Ministers, as well as, continuing education and supervision for active Stephen Ministers.
We all owe Mary a debt of gratitude for her inspiration, dedication, and leadership for these many years of service.
We now have a group of individuals who have committed to be part of a Stephen Ministry
Leadership team. Suzanne Stoner, Associate for Pastoral Care, graciously offered to take on the role of overall Team Leader
during the transition and help with training. Cathy Campbell, a newly-trained Stephen Minister, attended a one-week intensive
Stephen Ministry Leaders training session in San Antonio in February of 2001. Over the course of the 7-day workshop, Cathy
joined other Stephen Ministers from many different denominations and churches nationwide to receive an additional 50-hours
of training to become a Stephen Ministry Leader. Cathy acts as referrals coordinator, conducts supervision, and serves in
the training. Linda Watts, who was trained this past year as a Stephen Minister at St. Paul's, is part of the team to help
with training, supervision, and continuing education programs. Lastly, Jeanne Krementz, who came to St. Paul's as a trained
Stephen Leader, continues as part of the training team and has taken on the role of communications coordinator. Our goal is
to keep the congregation aware of Stephen Ministry offerings so that individuals in the parish and the community at large
can be served by this ministry. All of us in the leadership team look forward to sharing the responsibility of keeping Stephen
Ministry a thriving part of St. Paul's. A ministry built and nurtured for many years by Mary Miller.
We
provide fifty hours of training in a wide range of topics such as, the art of listening, assertiveness, confidentiality, and
ministering to those experiencing loss and grief. The focus is on preparation, presence, education, and spiritual exploration.
After completing training and being commissioned, Stephen Ministers meet twice a month for support, supervision, and continuing
education. They will be prepared to take on a Stephen Ministry relationship as the need presents itself.
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