When you can’t do it all — whatever it is — you would love to have a team behind you who is trained to continue right where you had to quit. Churches struggle with how to provide the care that is needed after the emergency has passed. The pastors must move on to the next crisis. Friends try to help but without training. Acquaintances care, but feel no authority to offer anything.

How to overcome these obstacles will be discussed in a Stephen Ministry Introductory Workshop at Waverly Road Presbyterian Church, 1415 Waverly Road, Kingsport, Saturday, Oct. 28, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Registration begins at 8 a.m., and refreshments will be available. These workshops are not often presented in this area.
Stephen Ministries, the St. Louis-based Christian training organization that has been providing congregations with training and resources for Christian caregiving since 1975, is sponsoring the seminar. Rev. Galen Dalrymple of north-central Georgia is the presenter.
The ministry offers a system of lay caring ministry that enables a congregation’s leaders to equip members to provide one-to-one. Attending the conference does not create any obligations.
Since 2009, 21 members of Waverly Road Presbyterian Church have each taken 50 hours of training to become Stephen Ministers. Twelve of them are currently active. Some of those 12 are in Stephen Ministry relationships and meet weekly with Care Receivers.
One of the church’s Stephen Ministers recently said, “Stephen Ministry provides the opportunity for me to show God’s Love to a person experiencing challenging times. By listening, praying, and encouraging, we walk through this difficult time together.”
The workshop’s three sessions will cover:
• Ministering to Those Experiencing Grief
• An Introduction to Stephen Ministry
• How to Care in a Distinctively Christian Way
Who should attend?
• Pastors and church staff
• Lay leaders and decision makers
• Caregivers and caregiving teams
What does it cost, who do I call with questions, and how can I register?
• $15 per person or a total of $50 for a group of four or more from the same congregation.
• Locally, call David Petke at 423-288-3454, email him at fdpetke@gmail.com. You can also contact Stephen Ministries at 314-428-2600.
• Register online at http://www.stephenministry.org/workshop or call Stephen Ministries at 314-428-2600.