Stephen Ministry
Saugatuck Congregational Church is a Stephen Ministry congregation. Stephen Ministry is a program that seeks to equip lay persons, called Stephen Ministers, to provide distinctively Christian one-to-one care to the bereaved, hospitalized, terminally ill, separated, divorced, unemployed, relocated, and others facing a crisis or life challenge. Stephen Ministry helps pastors and congregations provide quality caring ministry for as long as people need it.
The Core Purpose of Stephen Ministries is summed up in St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians:
“To equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.”
The Stephen Series is in more than 10,000 congregations, from more than 150 Christian denominations in all 50 states as well as 25 other countries. More than a million people have been cared for by a Stephen Minister since 1975.
The Stephen Ministry program is completely confidential. If you would like to receive assistance from a Stephen Minister, please contact Anne Patterson at wapitterpatter@aol.com.
Stephen Ministers find all aspects of their lives enriched by the distinctively Christian caregiving skills they learn and practice, and experience joy as they see God working through them to bring hope and healing to a hurting person. If you wish to discover, cultivate and use the spiritual gifts you’ve been given and become an active partner in the mission and ministry of the church by becoming a Stephen Minister, please contact Anne Patterson at wapitterpatter@aol.com.
For more information about the Stephen Ministries, visit their website at www.stephenministries.org.