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Spotlight on the 60,000^th Stephen Leader

Dr. Kenneth Haugk and his daughter Amity congratulate Gregory Timmons (center), Stephen Ministries' 60,000th trained Stephen Leader.

Stephen Ministries marked the training of the 60,000^th Stephen Leader at the 174^th Leader's Training Course (LTC) this April in St. Louis, Missouri.

In his remarks to commemorate the event, Dr. Kenneth Haugk noted that at the very first LTC there were 14 participants present. One of the churches at that June 1978 training course, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church of Lafayette, Indiana, also had representatives at the April 2010 LTC--a tremendous testament to the lasting value of Stephen Ministry.

Dr. Haugk presented a Stephen Ministry stained glass logo to the 60,000^th trained Stephen Leader, Gregory Timmons from Calvary United Methodist Church in Holly, Michigan. Dr. Haugk's daughter and Stephen Ministries staff member Amity Haugk interviewed Greg later in the week, learning how Greg became involved with Stephen Ministry and hearing about his vision for Stephen Ministry in his congregation and community.

Amity: Earlier this week you shared with me how your personal struggles in losing your wife at a young age led you to understand the importance of Stephen Ministry. Would you tell me a little more about that?

Greg: For about 14 years of our 15-year marriage, my wife was ill. We spent a lot of time on doctors' visits, hospital stays, and moving from place to place. It would have been awesome if my wife would have had someone to talk to, but our family lived in the South, and we were living in Seattle, so it was a pretty big distance between us. Having someone during that difficult time, not only to walk beside her but also to walk beside me, would have been so helpful.

I remember the day my wife died. I had just received a major promotion, and it was also Mother's Day. So it was a strange and difficult time, and it would have been nice to have a Stephen Minister to call. During the months that followed, when I had many difficult decisions to make, having a Stephen Minister there to support and encourage me would have been so good.

That's why I'm so committed to Stephen Ministry now.

Being a Stephen Leader means I'll be equipping others to share God's grace with people during the most difficult times. Through our Stephen Ministers, hurting people will be able to experience that Jesus is right there with them in the midst of their suffering. If God can part the Red Sea, certainly he can help a person who is grieving. 

Amity: Tell me about your beginning Stephen Ministry at Calvary United Methodist Church.

Greg: Well, you see, I'm married again, and my wife, Faith, is the senior pastor at Calvary, so I see firsthand the challenges that pastors face. As much as they want to, pastors just can't effectively execute ministry alone. They need laypeople to help provide care. But laypeople often don't know how, so they avoid caregiving situations. Stephen Ministry trains laypeople about what to say and what not to say, about what to do and what not to do, about how to provide Christian care. Stephen Ministers are a big help to pastors and extend the care of the congregation.

Amity: What steps did your congregation take to bring you to the Leader's Training Course this week?

Greg: Our congregation was familiar with Stephen Ministry because we'd seen it work in another local congregation. So we sent a team of four to a Stephen Ministry Workshop in our area. At the workshop, we realized that Stephen Ministry was perfect for our church. So we let our congregation's ministry leaders know about Stephen Ministry, and every ministry leader in the congregation said, "We all agree--Stephen Ministry is what we're about. Now we'll figure out how to fund it." Soon afterward, the Lord opened a door and a loving parishioner said, "I'll pay for it." So here we are at the LTC. We're going to launch our Stephen Ministry!

Amity: Tell me about your vision for Stephen Ministry at Calvary United Methodist Church.

Greg: Calvary United Methodist is a church of about 300 people, about 60 miles from Detroit. We have a wide mixture of people who worship here--some who raise cattle, some who farm, and then some who are engineers. Many kinds of people with many different needs. Our vision for Stephen Ministry is to meet all of these needs--from caring for our aging congregants to meeting the needs of new families coming into the church.

Our vision is also to look beyond our congregation and to identify and meet needs for care in the community. We plan to make contact with the hospital, police department, and health agencies and to publicize our Stephen Ministry widely in the community. We want everyone in our congregation and community to see that Calvary UMC has a Stephen Ministry and to know that our Stephen Ministers are available to provide care during their times of need.

Stephen Ministry will be an ongoing presence in our congregation and community, offering love, care, concern, and spiritual growth.

Amity: What's your vision for Stephen Ministry in all congregations?

Greg: During the training course, a pastor stopped me by the elevator and said, "Stephen Ministry is what the church is all about: Going out and sharing the love of Jesus Christ--not just saying 'Jesus loves you' but showing that love in a very real way." I agree 100 percent. That's what excites me about Stephen Ministry.

Stephen Ministry is making a big difference in so many churches already, but I'd really like to see it grow to include many more congregations. Too many pastors are overworked; too many needs fall by the wayside; too many laypeople miss out on doing ministry.

Amity: What would you say to congregations thinking about beginning Stephen Ministry?

Greg: I would ask them to consider what the congregation's mission is. What does your congregation really want to do? Do you truly want to 'love one another' as Jesus loves us? Do you really want to reach people for Jesus Christ? Stephen Ministry is a great way to carry out the mission that God has commissioned us to do. It's a great way to be the kind of church God has called us to be.