of the
First Presbyterian Church
Port Townsend, WA

Our church is a Stephen Ministry congregation.
Stephen Lay Ministers are available for support as needed,
but they do not begin until you ask.

Who can refer others for help?
     Any member or visitor of our church, but usually only with the permission of the individual needing help.

Who can be referred?
     Yourself, family member, friend, co-worker, neighbor ... church member or non-member ... someone who needs support for a difficult problem or time of life ... someone who would be open to the caregiving a Christian can give.

To whom do you make the referral?
     To Pastor Bob Slater, or the Stephen Leader in charge of referral assignments, Betty Anne Friedericks, 385-7332. Referrals will not be made through other channels ... other Stephen Ministers or Leaders, Deacons, Elders, or even the church office. Part of the success of this program lies in the effort to maintain the highest level of confidentiality possible for the care receiver's comfort.

Can I make a written referral?
     Yes. There will be referral cards available in the pew racks, which can be filled out, placed in the office Stephen Ministry Box or put into the collection plate.

What happens after referral?
     The Stephen Leader contacts the person, explains the Stephen program, and arranges for a Stephen Minister who then calls to set up a visit. At the first visit, the two together discuss the nature of the problem and decide on future visits. Usually "continuing support" is planned to accompany an individual through a "trying time" rather than only for a single occasion, but that is something to be decided by the care receiver and the caregiver together. The Stephen Minister's responsibility will be to listen with acceptance and compassion to this person with Christian caregiving as they struggle together to gain a better "footing" ... sometimes this may be a sharing of grief and pain, sometimes sharing of confusing or overwhelming situations, sometimes great aloneness.

If the assigned Stephen Minister can't help, what then?
     Referrals will be made with the consent of the care receiver to someone who can help (doctor, counselor, pastor, support group, agency, another Stephen Minister, etc.)

Will a Stephen Minister be assigned to a couple or a family with problems?
     Stephen Ministry is one-to-one support only. A second Stephen Minister can be available to help another family member with their special difficulties in the crisis. Additionally, referrals can be made to help those who need group work.

Will our pastor's role be diminished?
     No. He will attend to his flock as before. Stephen Ministry will enable our congregation to give continuing support for people with hours that a pastor does not have. For instance, although he can be with families in times of grief and occasionally after, he cannot on a continuing basis meet weekly with persons for 2 or 3 months following a loss. Because a Stephen Minister has only one or two care receivers, time can be set aside to do just this.

How is Christian care giving different from other types of care giving? . . . counseling, support groups, therapy? Is it better?
     Stephen Ministry is one of many forms of care our community and church offer. For some people it can be better. For these people special needs can be met ... the need for a one-to-one friendship rather than a group encounter . . . the need to be with a layperson rather than a professional ... the need for confidentiality for those who require privacy to safely deal with their pain ... the need for people who know how to be listeners ... the need to be in contact with specifically Christian care giving ... care that arises out of the love of Christ that will lead both the caregiver and care receiver together into a greater awareness of the Lord's healing presence. Stephen Ministers are not counselors; they will rely on their training to be more effective listeners and their ability to be really present with people who seek their own healing and solutions.

     "It is not within our power to place the divine teachings directly in someone else's heart. All that we can do is place them on the surface of the heart so that when the heart breaks, they will drop in." Hasidic Anecdote