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May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
-Romans 15:13
As we begin to emerge from the past year of quarantine, sickness and isolation, let us reflect that God has been with us the entire time. Everyone has been impacted in some way by the Covid 19 Pandemic. Everyone is re-entering the world at a pace that is most comfortable to them.
Stephen Ministers can help with this adjustment. We are Christian lay people who have been trained in how to respond to situations outside of what we personally have experienced. The Stephen Ministry Compass guides us to be Compassionate, Full of Faith, Skilled, and Trustworthy.
I had heard about Stephen Ministries for many years. Before elective surgery in 2011, I went to a Stephen Minister after church to request prayer. We prayed right then and there, which is what I expected. Surprisingly, there was much more follow-up with two Stephen Ministers sitting with my husband during my surgery and dinners were provided for a week.
I have been a Stephen Minister for almost a year and a half. After decades of being active in different prayer groups, I felt called to expand my caring for people in a more direct way. In God’s good time, I was approached about becoming a Stephen Minister and I eagerly agreed. Soon after my training the Pandemic started. I was able to communicate with my care receiver by phone since we were all quarantined and that was what she was most comfortable with. God was with us during this journey and though we never met in person, we were able to effectively communicate through “Telecare”.
As we slowly begin to return to normality let us support one another. If you need prayer, a listening ear, or something more during this time, a Stephen Minister can help. Please reach out to David Lee at johnnyquester@icloud.com or Rebecca Eldridge at rbeldridge@yahoo.com.
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