Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2, NRSV).
Stephen Ministry is a one-to-one lay caring ministry that provides high-quality, confidential,
Christ-centered care to people who are hurting or going through difficult phases of life.
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Stephen Ministers at Annandale UMC are lay members, not clergy, who have received 50 hours of training that teaches the principles and skills needed to provide high-quality, Christ-centered emotional and spiritual care. Care receivers are AUMC members and others in the community who are struggling through a difficult time in life—experiencing grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, or some other life crisis.
Some important guidelines for this caring relationship to protect both the care receiver and the Stephen Minister are:
- The relationship between a care receiver and a Stephen Minister is confidential.
- Men are matched with men, women with women.
- A Stephen Minister usually provides care to one person at a time, meeting with that person once a week for about an hour.
- A Stephen Minister establishes appropriate boundaries and respects the care receiver’s boundaries in order to develop and maintain a healthy Stephen Ministry relationship.
- When a care receiver’s needs exceed what a Stephen Minister can provide, the Stephen Ministry team makes a referral to an appropriate mental health professional or other community resource.
- Once a month, AUMC Stephen Ministers gather with their Stephen Leader for supervision and continuing education.
If you would like to have a Stephen Minister help you through a difficult time, please contact our AUMC Stephen Leader, Pat Sherfey, at 703-354-9676 or psherfey@yahoo.com .
If you would like to serve as a Stephen Minister, also contact Pat Sherfey.