“… love one another; as I have loved you …”
- John 13:34

Who We Are

What began with the introduction of Stephen Ministry to First Congregational Church of Southington, CT in 1997 has grown and evolved into the “Stephen Ministry Alliance of Greater Southington”, currently comprised of 11 churches.  Stephen Ministries is a one-on-one lay-care ministry developed by Stephen Ministries St. Louis.  Through this organization thousands of congregations from more than 90 denominations have been served for over 25 years.

Our Mission

The mission of Stephen Ministries is to …

• help equip God's people for spiritual growth and Christ-centered, practical caring ministry in today's world;
• serve Christ, bringing His love to people in need by walking with them, one-on-one, on their journey through crisis and life changing events;
• train, supervise and support Stephen Ministers and Stephen Leaders in this caring ministry;
• work with and educate the congregation on their role in Stephen Ministry (referrals, support and prayer).

Our Vision

• attract annual growth in commissioned Stephen Ministers/Stephen Leaders until a large majority of the congregation has become Stephen Ministers,
• ensure that every person in need is aware of and feels comfortable seeking and receiving a Stephen Minister.

Our Ministry & How it Works

Stephen Ministers are called by God to extend Christian care to those who are in the midst of trial and stress. Jesus is the model for this loving care.  Stephen Ministers are trained to provide caring, confidential, and non-judgmental listening and support.  Their role of care giver allows them to accompany and support their care receiver through difficult times.  They are not counselors, nor are they in a position to fix problems. 

Some examples where a Stephen Minister can provide caring spiritual support include (but are not limited to) the following crisis and life change experiences:

• death of loved one
• terminal illness
• hospitalization, nursing care
• marital separation, divorce
• traumatic accidents
• loneliness
• relocation
• physical/emotional abuse
• life changes/loss in general (aging, health, coping)
• birth of child, parenting challenges
• aging children (leaving for college, military, marriage)

When an adult (18+) person in need consents to receiving care from a Stephen Minister, they are then matched up with a Stephen Minister (of the same sex).  They meet with their Stephen Minister one-on-one weekly for about an hour.  Duration of the caring relationship depends on the need and often runs anywhere from three-six months, to a year, and sometimes more.  Although a Stephen Minister from the care receiver’s home church is made available first, there can also be situations where a care giver is provided from another church in the alliance.  Either way, both the care receiver and the care giver are provided with the opportunity to accept the assignment.

If you are contemplating seeking or becoming a Stephen Minister, please contact Rev. Cyndie Holden, Associate Pastor, at (860) 628-6958.  In the event she is not available please contact Irene Hendrickson at (860) 621-5292.

Our History

First Congregational Church of Southington (hereafter referred to as FCC) became a Stephen Ministries church in 1997, when both Rev. Cyndie Holden and Sandi Noel completed Stephen Ministries’ Leadership training.  They brought the program back to Southington and the first class of FCC’s Stephen Minister training began in January, 1998.  The class was commissioned in May of that year, and many of those Stephen Ministers remain active in the program today.  Following the training program provided by Stephen Ministries of St. Louis (founder), classes continue at FCC each January. 

Stephen Ministry was first introduced to Southington through FCC, and through the years has grown to become the Stephen Ministry Alliance of Greater Southington ("SMAofGS").  With FCC Stephen Ministry providing the majority of organization, teaching and supervision leadership, there are now several ecumenical churches in and around Southington which make up this Stephen Ministry alliance.  As the program grows, some of the churches become able to take on their own Training and Supervision leadership.  Stephen Ministers from 11 churches have completed the training program at FCC, with some of them having gone on to become Stephen Leaders. 

Fiscal Year ’03-‘04

We are truly blessed, “Where the Spirit is Alive and Miracles Happen”.  Currently there are 76 commissioned Stephen Ministers in the “SMAofGS”, including 11 from the latest class commissioned in May of this year.  A total of 33 caring relationships were formed, resulting in 680 contacts (visits/phone), for a total of 763 hours shared with Christ, our Stephen Minister care givers and their care receivers.

Click here to learn more about Stephen Ministry Leadership at FCC.

(Visit www.stephenministries.org to learn more about the history and development of this caring ministry.)

Click here to see a list of member churches in the Stephen Ministry Greater Southington Alliance.

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Page modified 7/2/05