Stephen Ministers Care!
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Trinity is a Stephen Ministry congregation. We have a corps of lay people who have been trained to provide quality Christian care on a one-on-one basis for those who are experiencing some crisis in their lives, e.g. death of a loved one, illness, material problems, parenting problems, job loss, etc. Stephen Ministry is strictly confidential. Consider allowing a Stephen Minister to walk with you on your journey towards wholeness. Contact one of the people listed below. Stephen Ministry Leaders
Stephen
Ministers are a trained corps of Christian soldiers who commit to 50
hours of training and a year and a half of service to be a “friend
indeed” to those in need. Stephen Ministers are assigned to someone
in our congregation who is going through a difficult time. |
Meet Our New Stephen Ministers!
| Bonnie
Martin joined Trinity when she married her husband, Steve, a long-time
member, in 1979. After "commuting" to church from Olathe for
several years, they decided to become members at a church closer to home.
Now that they are empty-nesters, they have been attending Trinity
for the last 18 months. Bonnie and Steve have 2 children. Jeff is married
and lives in Wichita. Erin is studying Occupational Therapy at KU Medical
Center. Bonnie has worked part-time for a doctor at Menorah Medical Center
for 12 years. She enjoys cooking, reading, and vacationing with family at the beach. Naomi Glynn has been a member of Trinity for about 15 years. Prior to that, she attended St. Luke's Lutheran Church in KCK for three years after moving to the Kansas City area from Topeka. Naomi is married to Jim Glynn and they and their two children, Rion and Holly, and two cats, live in Prairie Village. As empty-nesting approaches, she is thankful that God has gifted her with meaningful opportunities to serve the community and becoming a Stephen Minister is one of those gifts. Naomi is a clinical social worker and has been employed by Menorah Medical Center for over twenty years as the Cancer Support Program Coordinator. Karen Phipps was born at Providence Hospital in K. C., KS, she grew up in Merriam and graduated from Shawnee Mission North High School. She and her parents joined Messiah Lutheran Church in K.C., Ks (a Swedish Lutheran Church) when she was age 14. Messiah merged with Trinity Lutheran Church (LCA) which formed All Saints Lutheran Church in the 70's. “We had been members for 44 years until the doors closed at All Saints 8 years ago.” At that time, her father, Carl Johnson, and she happily became members here at Trinity. She has a son Steven who is currently enrolled in an IT vocational school. Last month, she celebrated 35 years of service with an insurance brokerage firm, Aon Consulting Inc., in downtown Kansas City, MO. She hasn't had much time for hobbies, but hopefully someday in the near future, she would like to retire and find a hobby. |
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Patricia
A Rodina was born in Kansas City and married Robert in 1947. She attends
North Heartland Community Church. Pat has a Masters degree in Gerontology
and has worked in medical research
at KU and also worked 12 years as a nursing home administrator. Pat has two children:
Kent and
family who live in Minnesota, and her daughter, Sue Wells and family, who are
a members of Trinity. Gary Lee Williamson was born in Independence, MO and now lives in Mission, KS. He was a member of the RLDS church until October of 2007 when he became a member of Trinity. He enjoys golf and cards. He works for Odell publishing in shipping. |
You may not notice the Stephen Ministers in our midst, but Trinity has trained over 90 since the program began here in 1987. Beyond their training, the qualifications of a Stephen Minister are a caring heart and a listening ear. If you know a Stephen Minister, ask them how they benefit from their service. They’ll likely tell you they made a new friend, felt useful to someone in a significant way, or grew closer to their Lord. We are recruiting now for a new Stephen Ministry training class to begin this fall 2007. If you’d like to find out more, please visit with Pastors Oestmann or Boehnke.
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Stephen
Ministers: Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things
Stephen Ministry is a program at Trinity that equips lay people to provide one-to-one
Christian care to persons experiencing all types of transitions and circumstances,
such as bereavement, divorce, job loss, relocation, hospitalization, birth or
adoption, or spiritual crisis. Over one hundred men and women have been trained
at Trinity since the program began here in 1987. If you’ve thought participation
in Stephen Ministry requires an advanced degree, seminary training, community
activism or some other special skill, you may be surprised to learn that Stephen
Ministers are ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
Stephen Ministers receive fifty hours of training in caring ministry skills,
meeting once a week for approximately six months. Once, commissioned, Stephen
Ministers serve for at least one and one-half years in regular visits with persons
in need. Ongoing supervision by Stephen Leaders and continuing education are
provided during this period. The only qualifications for participation in the
Stephen Ministry program are a willingness to be a Christian friend to someone
in need, maintain the confidentiality of the caring relationship, be open to
one’s own spiritual growth, and respond to Christ’s command “Love
one another as I have loved you”. If this is a job description that fits
you, Trinity invites you to consider becoming a Stephen Minister.
Some Stephen Minister quotes:
“Being a Stephen Minister gives me a purpose to serve the Lord. With the help of God we give comfort and understanding. It is so rewarding to give comfort and spiritual help to others… a friendship happens and you both help each other. It has made me a better person and has brought me closer to God.” Yvonne Tickles
“Our training here at Trinity has prepared us to meet challenges in our every day contacts and with our fellow Christians. With the Lord’s help and the support of our fellow Stephen Ministers, we make a difference. We need each other for Christian support and fellowship.” Jack Iiams