Woman embraces ministry group
SAXONBURG — Lucy Boehler of Winfield Township has been attending New Life Christian Ministries, 139 Knoch Road, for six years. She owns a residential and commercial cleaning business and is used to service.
“My first thought when I heard about the Stephen Ministry was this is my calling to serve the Lord. My chance to give back to others, the love that Jesus has given to me,” said Boehler.
“It is important to me to be a part of this ministry because I myself have been through pain and suffering. I have had my own struggles and battles, and God gave me hope, comfort and a new strength of faith to overcome my tribulations,” she said.
Care Pastor at New Life Christian Ministries Jayne French directed the program.
“The mission of the ministry is 'Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ,' Galatians 6:2,” said French.
“These lay caregivers receive 50 hours of pastoral care training before being commissioned,” French added.
After the commissioning service, Stephen Ministers become matched as caregivers to a member of the church family or others in the community who are struggling — experiencing grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, or some other life crisis.
Though the training commitment was hard, Boehler strove to make it part of her schedule.
“I made a commitment to God and myself to complete this training course, and I stuck to it and did it,” Boehler said. “I realize some people don't have hope, or have lost sight of hope, due to pain, grief and despair. I want to help give them that spark of hope again.”Before her training was even over, Boehler was called into service to use what she was learning.Though the experience seemed overwhelming and she felt unequipped to help a sick friend in need, she said, “I used all the skills I was taught each week, and applied them to her care, and with a lot of prayers, God used it all for good. It was a great victory, and I was blessed to see God's work in her life as she accepted Jesus into her own life and has the peace she desperately needed.”While the training was about ministering to others, Boehler found herself blessed by the friendships she formed during the training.“I made some very dear, close friends and a prayer partner. One of the things that surprised me was as we opened up to one another in group discussions, I learned many had also experienced past hurts. I think that's what gives us all the drive of compassion to want to help others,” she said.“I've known about the Stephen Ministry program for more than 25 years, and how powerfully it has impacted a number of churches that have used it,” said Pastor Chris Marshall, the lead pastor of New Life Christian Ministries.New Life Christian Ministries was created in 2001 and has grown to a congregation exceeding 1,200 members.“Since more than 1,200 people call New Life their church family, the only way we are going to be able to provide for the care needs of our people is to equip a large number of folks from within the family to care for those who are going through challenging times in their lives,” Marshall explained.Faith Toomey of West Deer Township, Allegheny County, has only been at New Life for two years but works in the community as the manager at Chick-fil-A and is also a youth leader at the church. She took the class to gain skills to comfort.She wasn't prepared for the actual mission of the class.“I thought I was going to learn skills I would put away in my back pocket and pull out when needed. Yes, I did learn the skills to help walk beside a hurting individual, but the ministry is more intentional than I originally thought,” Toomey said.Toomey feels this ministry will also benefit her in her position of youth leader in dealing with the sufferings and circumstances of students' families.“Since Day 1, I have put the training into practice in my everyday life. The lessons are so applicable I was able to use the skills right away in all of my relationships. More specifically, I feel equipped to help those who are hurting. The program is amazing, because it will give those who are hurting somewhere to turn when they are just unsure what to do,” she added.Marshall commissioned 19 Stephen Ministers Saturday night, acknowledging their time and commitment in training.“The skills Stephen Ministry training provides along with the love of Jesus in each Stephen minister's heart, will provide a powerful network of care for those needing to experience Jesus' presence in tangible ways in their lives,” said Marshall.Anyone desiring Christ- centered care can be served, he said.“We as Stephen Ministers are the caregivers, our church family or other community members are the care receivers, and God is the cure giver,” said French, noting that all care is strictly confidential. This is a ministry, and there is no fee involved.
Stephen Ministry is a one-to-one lay caring ministry in congregations that use the Stephen Series system. It began in St. Louis and has been equipping people for ministry since 1975.Stephen Ministry congregations equip and empower lay caregivers — called Stephen Ministers — to provide high-quality, confidential, Christ-centered care to people who are hurting.There are three components to the ministry: Stephen Leaders, Stephen Ministers and care receivers. Leaders are people from the church who train the Stephen Ministers.Stephen Ministers are congregation members trained by Stephen Leaders to offer high-quality, one-to-one Christian care to people going through tough times.A Stephen Minister usually provides care to one person at a time, meeting with that person once a week for about an hour. Twice a month, Stephen Ministers gather with their Stephen Leaders for supervision and continuing education.Care receivers are people from the congregation or surrounding community struggling through a difficult time in life — experiencing grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, or some other life crisis.To request a visit to see if a Stephen Minister is the right fit for you, contact the New Life Christian Ministry office at 724-524-1547.
