Ministry Contacts:

Purpose of Ministry: A Stephen Minister gives one-to-one, lay Christian care.

One-to-one: Stephen Ministers meet privately with one care receiver of the

same gender.

Lay: Stephen Ministers are trained and supervised lay volunteers, not professional

counselors, therapists, pastors, or physicians.

Christian: Stephen Ministers at Church of the Ascension are Christians who care in the name of Christ and on behalf of the Church of the Ascension. They are willing to talk about spiritual issues, but won't force them.

Care: Stephen Ministers care by listening, supporting, encouraging, praying, being dependable and trustworthy, and maintaining confidentiality in their caregiving.

Stephen Ministers provide care for people with five types of needs:

Crisis Care, for persons dealing with a hospitalization terminal illness, death of a loved one, unemployment, divorce, or other crisis.

Follow-Up Care, for persons recovering from a major life crisis, particularly after family and others are not as available to help.

Chronic Care, for long-term problems, can be helpful to those who are disabled, aged, homebound, experiencing chronic pain, or living with a degenerative disease.

Preventive Care helps people anticipate and prepare for potentially difficult upcoming events or transitions, such as a dying spouse or parent.

Number of Hours Expected To Be Needed Each Month: 50 hours of training are required to be commissioned as a Stephen Minister. The training for the next group of Stephen Ministers will be provided on Tuesday evenings, 6:00-9:00 p.m. from early January 2010 through May 2010.

New ministers will be commissioned on May 23rd, 2010. When new ministers have completed the training, they are assigned a care receiver. Their time commitment then includes meeting on average for an hour a week with the care receiver and participating in Continuing Education and Peer Supervision Group meetings on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month from 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.

Applications to become a Stephen Minister can be obtained by calling or emailing one of the program coordinators or at the Communications Desk in the Ascension office. For the January training group, the application deadline is Sunday, October 25th. Those applying are interviewed by two program leaders so that all questions can be asked and answered.

Meeting Requirements: Stephen Ministers are required to complete the training and actively participate in ongoing Continuing Education and Peer Supervision Group Meetings as well as to schedule regular meetings with the care receivers.

Where are Ministry Services Provided: Meetings are held at Ascension; meetings with a care receiver take place in care receivers' homes, at the church, or at other locations convenient to the Stephen Minister and care receiver.