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Stories about Stephen Ministry in Action

Caring in Aisle #7

In addition to meeting regularly with a care receiver, a Stephen Minister often encounters situations in day-to-day life in which he or she uses Stephen Ministry skills. Below, a Stephen Minister tells about a chance encounter in which she used her Stephen Ministry skills with a neighbor.

Last week in the checkout line at a store near my home I ran into a woman from my neighborhood. I didn't know her all that well; mainly we crossed paths from time to time when we were each out taking morning walks.

It had been a month or more since I had last seen her, so I said, "I haven't seen you in a while. How are you?"

When she looked at me, tears suddenly welled up in her eyes, and she then told me that her husband had died two weeks ago.

Immediately my "Stephen Minister instincts" took over, and I began caring for her. The cashier caught on to what was happening--my neighbor and I were the only two in the line--and said, "Take all the time you need." He put the chain across the line and moved to a different aisle.

So my neighbor and I stood there in the checkout line talking for more than an hour. She did most of the talking while I listened and cared. As we got ready to leave, I told her that if she needed to talk more, she should just give me a call. I also told her about Stephen Ministry at our church and the possibility that we could match her up with someone to meet with her and care for her on an ongoing basis.

Afterward I realized again how valuable my Stephen Ministry training was. When you ask someone "How are you," you're really not expecting much of a response. Prior to becoming a Stephen Minister, I'm not sure what I would have done. Probably I would have stumbled along for a little bit and then come up with a reason to cut off the conversation. But since I've had my Stephen Minister training, I knew what to do, and I had some level of confidence jumping in and doing it.

I have no doubt this was one of those God-things--that God planned for our paths to cross in the checkout line. I'm so glad that I was able to be there and listen to her when she needed it. I really felt I made a difference in her life.

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