Our Stephen Ministries staff are trained and certified to provide one-to-one care to people in the congregation. Our lay caregivers meet with a hurting person on a weekly basis to listen, pray, and provide emotional and spiritual support. Men are paired with men, women with women. Ministers commit to be available for two years, as needed, but many serve longer is they choose. Stephen Ministries is a nation-wide Christ-centered outreach and counseling program, committed to being there for those in distress and going through difficult life circumstances, who need the confidentiality of a good and caring listener to guide them through their crises. Stephen Ministries is named after St. Stephen, who was the first Christian martyr to care for the poor.