Between January 12th and 18th I attended a wonderful training event with another church member in Orlando Florida. I was thrilled with the opportunity to visit the warm south at this time of year, especially given the unseasonable cold temperatures we have been experiencing here in PA the last few weeks. Imagine my disappointment when the day time temperatures in Florida were only in the 40’s and 50’s. No swimming for me on my first trip to the Sunshine State -disappointing!
On a much more positive note: my companion Phyllis and I were absolutely blown away by the quality and content of the Stephen Ministry Leader’s Training course we attended. What a marvelous blessing this ministry is – and can be – for the Church! This program began 35 years ago to train lay people of local churches in offering Christian care giving to anyone suffering or in need of support during a challenging situation or life event. The program has been tweaked, improved and adjusted by tens of thousands of churches, and nearly a half million trained care givers!
We are blessed at Calvary to have over twenty trained Stephen Ministers in our midst, and Phyllis and I will be adding more after we reboot the program on February 16th at our All-Church Valentine Luncheon. If you are at all interested in hearing what Phyllis and I learned about lay-driven, openly Christian care giving, please come to the lunch after the traditional service (12:00PM) on Sunday the 16th in the Fellowship Hall. You may also call me at the church office – 610-777-8441 or email me at Pastor.calvmohn@comcast.net .
The program offers a 50 hour training course for anyone wishing to learn how to be an experienced, trained care giver, ready to assist someone needing support and a listening ear to help them find out where God might be found in the midst of some challenging circumstances. This is a wonderful ministry, and I am very pleased to be one of its leaders.
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