Midland Free’s Stephen Ministry equips lay people to provide confidential, one-to-one Christian care to individuals in our church body and community who are experiencing difficulties in their lives.

Stephen Ministers reach out with God’s love to people who are experiencing life’s difficulties. They come alongside to encourage and support both church attenders and others.

• A child of God who walks beside a person who is hurting
• A Midland Free member with gifts for caregiving who was carefully selected to serve in this role
• A lay person who has received 50 hours of training in providing emotional and spiritual care
• A caring, Christian friend who listens, cares, prays, supports, and encourages
• Someone who will “be there” for his or her care receiver, meeting faithfully for  about an hour each week, for as long as there’s a need

Ministers Care for People Facing Tough Times

We all experience challenges in life—times when we could benefit from the support of a caring Christian friend. Stephen Ministers are ready to provide the emotional and spiritual care we need when faced with a crisis or difficulty such as:

• Loss of a loved one
• Hospitalization
• Divorce or separation
• Loneliness, discouragement, shut-in
• Spiritual challenge
• Unemployment or a job situation
• Terminal or chronic illness
• Incarceration
• Aging
• Birth, adoption, miscarriage, or infertility
• Relocation
• Recovery after an accident or disaster
• And many more

Stephen Ministry is a confidential ministry. The identity of those receiving care and what takes place in each caring relationship remain private.

Pastors will always be on the front lines of care, especially during times of crisis. But there are always many more needs for ongoing, one-to-one care than pastors can  effectively meet by themselves.

Stephen Ministry provides a biblical solution—equipping God’s people for ministry. Gifted lay people are trained to support and extend the ongoing care that pastors may not be able  to provide.

Stephen Ministers reach out with God’s love to people who are hurting—both members and attenders of Midland Free and their friends, neighbors, coworkers or relatives.

To equip the saints for the work of ministry.
  —Ephesians 4:12a

Your involvement in Stephen Ministry can be:

• Accept care from a Stephen Minister during your time of need. God doesn’t expect you to bear your burdens alone.
• Tell a friend, neighbor, coworker, or relative who is hurting about our Stephen Ministry.
• Pray for God to bring hope and healing to hurting people through our Stephen Ministry.
•  If you are a good listener and a compassionate person, prayerfully consider becoming a Stephen Minister.

To preserve confidentiality, only a portion of the testamonial is contained below:

I will be forever grateful for (my Stephen Minister).  Through (his/her) listening heart and persistent prayers God has and is continuing to heal my heart of the previous wounds. God has replaced my sorrow for His joy. Thank-you for taking the time to listen, pray and care for me and my family.

There are several ways for you to connect with Stephen Ministry:

• Connect with the confidential Stephen Ministry line 24/7, dial 989.631.4411 and dial 6 for Stephen Ministry.
• Stephen Ministry Request Form
• Email to stephen@mefchurch.org

If you are seeking a Stephen Minister to walk alongside of you, please complete the referral form. >>more

Is God calling you to become a Stephen Minister? >>more

I was lost, broken and grief stricken. My spirit was on the deathbed. Poverty and uncertainty were the demons ready to engulf me. My soul was bleeding with the whiplashes I gave to it by regretting the wrong choices I had made in my life that had thrown me into hell.

My regret and grief were relentless and were killing me. One of my compassionate friends took pity on me and arranged for a Stephen Minister to visit with me. As I filled out the forms, I was not aware of the magic that was about to happen – the magic of having a kind, caring lady enter into my broken life and heal me through her service as a Stephen Minister.

At first it was hard to believe that anyone as nice as her would not mind associating with a shattered person like me. My Stephen Minister became a lifeboat to my drowning soul. She visited me, spent time with me, listened to every disgusting story I told her always with a friendly smile and compassionate heart. She even went out of her way to help me get some of my needs met.

The list of her kind acts is too long. If anyone calls me, I can go over that list. She also gave me the nicest treat – the treat of hearing about her wonderful family, great kids and sweet grandkids that I thoroughly enjoy.

Being with a Stephen Minister is worlds apart from being with a professional counselor. A Stephen Minister helps people like me to look at life from a spiritual perspective; we feel the warmth of being covered by the blanket, the blanket of love from Jesus.

After completing sessions with a professional counselor, I would come out drained because I felt that I carried on a monologue. I would talk relentlessly with the counselor offering the sympathetic ear and saying few kind words. Always my problems were solved with time or with my effort.

With a Stephen Minister, I felt that I interacted with a caring soul and not just a professional whose purpose is to dissect my psychology. With a Stephen Minister I felt like a human being, her words and deeds of kindness heal my wounded mind.

I have written this testimony with Jesus in my heart and for Jesus in my heart. This is my way of saying “Thank You, Jesus” for bringing a Stephen Minister into my life to speak to me through her.