Caring ministry workshop offered
at Bergen United Methodist Church

On Saturday, April 24, Bergen United Methodist Church will host a Stephen Series Caring Ministry Workshop from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and refreshments are served at 8:30 a.m. The half-day workshop consists of three sessions designed both to enhance the caregiving skills of participants and to help congregations explore ways to expand their caring ministry.

"We found that the needs for care in our congregation and community were much more than the pastor could handle alone," said Bill Russell, one of the three Stephen Leaders who oversee Bergen United Methodist's Stephen Ministry. "So we enrolled in the Stephen Series and are now equipping members to provide quality one-to-one Christian care."

The workshop is sponsored by Stephen Ministries, the Christian training organization based in St. Louis that has been providing congregations with training and resources for Christian caregiving for more than 25 years. The workshop will be led by Rev. Michael Walsh who has worked with Stephen Ministries in St. Louis for several years and now pastors a church in Shelbyville, Tennessee.

In the first session of the workshop, "Ministering to Those Experiencing Grief," participants learn about the grief process - the stages of grief and how to minister in each of those stages. They will gain the skills and confidence to care better for individuals who are grieving.

The second session provides an introduction to the Stephen Series, a lay caring ministry system through which congregation leaders can equip members to provide one-to-one Christian care to individuals in need.

Over the past three years, fifteen members of Bergen United Methodist Church have undertaken 50 hours of training to become Stephen Ministers; fourteen of them are currently active. Each meets weekly with an individual who is experiencing a life crisis or challenge, such as the death of a loved one, divorce, hospitalization, the loss of a job, loneliness, relocation, or others.

"Being a Stephen Minister has been a blessing to me," said Stephen Minister Candie Pocock. "I have grown so much spiritually through the experience of seeing God work through me to touch the life of my care receiver."

The final session of the workshop defines "How to Care in a Distinctively Christian Way." Participants learn what makes Christian caregiving unique and how they can use such resources as prayer, blessings, and Scripture in their caring for others.

The cost of the workshop is $15 per person or $50 for a group of four or more from the same congregation. For information, or to register to attend contact Ellie MacIntyre at Bergen United Methodist Church, 27 South Lake Avenue, Bergen, 585-494-1312.