Light Rain / 55° F
FF area Stephen Ministry offer Chrisitan care [UPDATED]
Published 9:07am Thursday, October 25, 2012 Updated 11:08am Thursday, October 25, 2012Fergus Falls has many wonderful qualities; not the least is the ability of different Christian churches in our area to work together through Stephen Ministry. They work together to care for our people hurting physically, spiritually and emotionally.
Stephen Ministry started in 1975 when Kenneth Haugk, a pastor and clinical psychologist in St. Louis, Mo., trained members of his congregation to provide distinctively Christian care, confidentially, to members of his church family.
Since then, more than 8,000 congregations from more than 100 denominations have enrolled in the program.
What does a Stephen minister do in the Fergus area? Together, many of our churches as well as Lake Region Healthcare, sponsor and provide training for new Stephen ministers, who provide care for people faced with difficulty such as loss of a loved one, hospitalization, loneliness or discouragement, spiritual crisis, unemployment, a terminal illness, incarceration, aging, birth, adoption, miscarriage or infertility, a chronic illness, relocation, recovery after an accident or disaster and any time someone needs the support of a caring friend.
Stephen Ministry is a confidential ministry: The identity of those receiving care and what takes place in each caring relationship remain private.
