Stephen Ministry is coming to Good Shepherd

You don’t have to wear a collar to care about other people. 

Early in his ministry in Galilee, Jesus sent out his followers to bring God’s loving presence to others. Jesus gave the disciples basic directions and then left them to get on with it. None of them wore a collar.

To their surprise, the disciples found that they too could bring the presence of God into the lives of those who were sick and frail and ailing. Their willingness to serve God by serving others seemed to have been all they needed.

You can do the same. Whatever your skill set, whatever your background, you too can serve God by serving others.

This Sunday at 9:45 am, Jo Wallace, Janis Wade, Susan Sgarlat and Frank Word will describe a form of face to face Christian ministry called Stephen Ministry. The willingness to love others by listening to them without trying to fix them is at the heart of Stephen Ministry.

Perhaps you may be called to serve others as the disciples once did. Come listen. Come learn. And remember: you really don’t need a collar to care about other people.

In faith and peace,

Charles

What Would Jesus Cut?

When the prophet Nathan confronted the ruler David and accused David of infidelity with the wife of one of his commanders, Nathan dared to speak truth to power.

The risks were real. David was the King of Israel. He could quite easily have ordered Nathan executed. But Nathan got lucky. David had a conscience and was brave enough to admit that he was wrong. David repented—changed his life—while Nathan became a model of how bold people live a life of faith in the public arena.

So how do we--who are not ancient prophets--learn to live our own faith in the world?

This Sunday at 9:45 am at Good Shepherd and the World, Dr Karl Weddle and Dr Rick Carter lead us in reflecting on the relationship between our Christian faith and our public lives.

Rick will use as one example Jim Wallis, the founder of Sojouner magazine and the author of God's Politics. Jim Wallis is an evangelical Christian who is a scathing critic of both Republicans and Democrats.

As both political parties renew their partisan debates about cutting the budget, Jim Wallis asks a simple and daunting question.

What Would Jesus Cut?

You may not agree on his answer. But if you are trying to walk the Christian path, you have to agree that the question goes to the heart of our faith in the world.

In the words of an inquiring member of Good Shepherd

We may not succeed in answering all your questions.

The answers we find may only serve to raise a whole new set of questions.

In some ways we may feel as confused as ever, but we believe that we are confused on a higher level and about more important things.

So come join us this Sunday at 9:45 am as we reflect upon Christianity, Politics and the question

What Would Jesus Cut?

  

Roy's Rock

"Roy's Rock"

On the night of July 31, 2001 Roy Moore, the newly elected Chief
Justice of the State of Alabama, ordered a massive stone carving of
the 10 Commandments installed in a prominent place in the Supreme
Court Building in Montgomery.

"Roy's Rock" weighed 5,280 pounds. Its installation was filmed by
Coral Ridge Ministries, a Christian group that later sold videotapes
of the proceeding.

Judge Moore justified his extraordinary act by claiming that the 10
Commandments were the moral foundation of American law and needed to
be on permanent display as people came into court. Thousands of
demonstrators stood on the courthouse steps to support Roy and his Rock.

Was he right? Not in the view of every other judge who considered
Roy's claim. Roy was ordered to take the rock out of the courthouse.
When he refused he was removed from office by the other judges of
Alabama.

What is going on here? Many Americans sincerely feel its important to
post Christian symbols in public places and to require prayer in
public schools. Are they right? What can Christians do to live their
private values in the public sphere?

This Sunday at 9:45 Doug Trant and I begin to tackle the thorny
question of what Christians can and cannot do to live Christian lives
in public places in America. To tip my hand, I confess that I am much
more concerned about teaching our kids to pray at home than I am about
requiring them to pray at school.

Come join us, as we look at Roy's Rock and discuss its implications.

Charles

STEPHEN MINISTERS ARE COMING TO GOOD SHEPHERD

Sometimes you just need someone to listen.

In the middle of the challenges of life—and we all have challenges in life—it can help to have someone with us who listens and who cares.

Whether you are male or female, young or old, the opportunity to talk to someone who will listen to you with sympathy and insight is a great gift.

That is particularly true if the person doing the listening doesn't try to fix you or fix your problem.

Christianity is not a spectator sport. Christianity invites us into action for the welfare of one another.

That is why the vestry of Good Shepherd has decided to adopt Stephen Ministry as a model for Christian service to each other.

For seven days and three nights, from Sunday, January 9 to Saturday January 15, five members of Good Shepherd--- Lani Hubbard, Jo Wallace, Janice Wade, Susan Sgarlat and Charles Fels--- attended a 50 hour training course in Stephen Ministry. The experience was intense. We returned ready to begin a training program later this year for those among us who are called to become Stephen Ministers.

Stephen Ministers are women and men from Good Shepherd who are trained to be fully present for others.

Stephen Ministers don't fix problems. Many of life's problems aren't really "fixable" anyway.

Instead, Stephen Ministers listen, mirror back what they hear and help reflect upon life's challenges. And they pray, out loud, for the well being of the person they visit.

Stephen Ministry is nothing more and nothing less than one on one Christian caring.

The standards for serving as a Stephen Minister are deliberately high: those who feel called to become Stephen Ministers are asked to complete a written application, participate in a personal interview and agree to a background check. They then participate
in 50 hours of training spread out over four to six months.

After that, the new Stephen Ministers will spend a minimum of 9 hours each month in active ministry, inside or outside the parish. Each Stephen Minister agrees to serve for a two year period.

Stephen Ministry is new to Good Shepherd but not new to the rest of the world. The program was begun 35 years ago by a Lutheran pastor in St Louis and has now spread to 150 denominations and 10,000 congregations. Over half a million women and men have trained to become Stephen Ministers.

The ministry of caring is everyone's responsibility. We eagerly await those who feel called to serve others as Stephen Ministers and we ask for the prayers of all members of the parish as we begin this new and exciting opportunity to serve God in the world around us.

Yours in Christ,

Lani Hubbard, Jo Wallace, Janice Wade, Susan Sgarlat and Charles Fels

Stephen Ministry Leaders at Good Shepherd