A United Methodist Pastor's Theological Reflections

"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory (nikos) through our Lord Jesus Christ." - I Corinthians 15:57


Monday, May 6, 2019

Stephen Ministry 10th Anniversary Recognition (May 5) Athens First UMC




[Picture above are our Stephen Ministers and Leaders. They are from left to right: Elaine Dabelko, Marge Hagerman, Cathy Bigger, Kim Mather, Jenaye Hill, Kevin Dael, Barb Dingle, Mike Bila, & Ken Edwards. Jan Miller-Fox got squeezed out of the photo. Sorry, Jan! Stephen Ministry is a ministry that provides one to one peer support for people who are are in need of a listening ear. Stephen Ministers are people in the church who have received 50 hours of instructive training on being a caring, loving, attentive, encouraging, hope-filled and confidential listeners. Rick Seiter, our director of congregational care ministries serves as the Stephen Minister Leader of this ministry. During the month of May, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of having Stephen Ministry at our church.]


Stephen Ministry 10th Anniversary Prayer of Blessing

God of healing and wholeness, on this tenth anniversary of our Stephen Ministry, we give you thanks for all of these care givers who have served and continue to serve in this ministry.  Thank you for their willingness to give of their time to be trained and to be a blessing to others. On this special anniversary, we also pray for the many people who have been care receivers. Thank you for their openness to receive care through this ministry. Thank you for reminding us that we have each other in the Body of Christ in which you offer your abundant love, amazing grace, and healing love. We do not need to walk this journey alone. May this vital and life-giving ministry of our church continue to be a blessing for both the care givers and the care receivers. We pray this in the name of the Risen Christ who is more than able to bind up our wounds and make us new again. It is in his name, that we offer this prayer of blessing and thanksgiving. Amen.

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