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A Year of Rejoicing
Ten Years of Stephen Ministry
at St. Michael Evangelical Lutheran Church,
Fort Wayne, Indiana
In marking the 10th anniversary of Stephen Ministry, the twelve Stephen Ministers and five Stephen Leaders of St. Michael Lutheran Church celebrated by planning a series of Stephen Ministry events that spanned the entire year.
February Retreat
They kicked off the celebration in February with a weekend retreat for the Stephen Ministry team at the Oakwood Christian Retreat Center in Syracuse, Indiana. The retreat's theme, "Secrets of the Vine," wove together the fellowship, spiritual growth, and team-building activities that made up the retreat.
"The retreat renewed our spirits and gave us a fresh look at God and what he desires for our lives," said Stephen Leader Margaret Jones, who coordinated the retreat. "We strive to be Jesus to our care receivers and to one another. We returned from the retreat empowered to become even greater servants for the Lord."
Giving the Gift of Stephen Ministry to Others through a Caring Ministry Workshop
In March, St. Michael's Stephen Ministry team hosted a Caring Ministry Workshop. Rev. Michael Welch, pastor of Lafayette United Methodist Church in Lafayette, Tennessee, and formerly a member of the Stephen Ministries pastoral staff, led the workshop.
"One of the greatest joys of being a Stephen Leader has been sharing our ministry with other local congregations considering enrolling in Stephen Ministry," said Stephen Leader Debbie Gotsch. "Seeing how excited the participants were to take the message of Stephen Ministry back to their home congregations re-energized us all."
Nearly 100 participants from more than 40 congregations in northeastern Indiana and northwestern Ohio attended the workshop to learn about the Stephen Series and how they could begin it in their congregations.
Sylvia Care: Extending Compassion
in Memory of a Stephen Minister
In March, the Stephen Ministry team lost one of their original Stephen Ministers, Sylvia Lehman. In addition to serving as a Stephen Minister, Sylvia sent cards on behalf of Stephen Ministry to those in the congregation who had lost a loved one.
Sylvia's compassion inspired Stephen Leader Sharon Marks to organize Sylvia Care.
"Sylvia was the ultimate caregiver, always supporting others, often with cards," said Sharon. "We wanted to honor her memory and her life's mission by continuing her ministry to our congregation members during their time of grief.
"We send a sympathy card, along with a personal message, about one month after the death, when many have lost some of the initial support of family and friends. We want to underline the fact that our Stephen Ministry is really their ministry."
Celebrating Ten Years of Ministry
On November 19, St. Michael's Stephen Ministry team held a 10th anniversary celebration with the entire congregation. Rev. Michael Welch returned to address both Sunday services; he spoke on how Stephen Ministry allows them to share Christ's love and compassion with others. Each active Stephen Minister was re-introduced to the congregation and honored for his or her length of service.
Five former Stephen Ministers also returned to St. Michael to celebrate--some from as far away as Indianapolis.
After the 10:45 A.M. service the Elders served the Stephen Leaders, Stephen Ministers, their family members, and the pastors a special lasagna luncheon.
Stephen Leader Connie Easterday, who arranged many of the details for the occasion, felt it was a great success. "I felt real warmth and respect from the congregation--and a greater awareness of what Stephen Ministry is all about," she said.
On the "fun" side, the team arranged for an artist to sketch caricatures of all St. Michael's active Stephen Ministers, and they displayed the sketches in the narthex for the weekend. "It was a fun way to reintroduce ourselves to our fellow church members--and to say, 'This is your Stephen Ministry team--here to serve YOU!'" said Stephen Leader Brenda Patterson-Mauricio.
"This has been an exceptionally exciting year for our ministry," Brenda said. "We are extremely blessed to have such a dedicated group of volunteers to walk the healing journey with hurting people. We appreciate the thriving program we coordinate here at St. Michael."
The Stephen Ministry team at St. Michael Lutheran concluded their year-long celebration by focusing not on past accomplishments but on their commitment to future ministry: They begin training a new class of Stephen Ministers in January.