By Jane Yin
Many years ago, I was searching for something worthwhile to do to live out my faith. I wanted to reach out to people who need to experience God’s love and grace in their lives. God led me to become a Stephen Minister. Since 2000, I have been actively serving in that ministry.
The person of the Stephen Minister is to be Christ to someone hurting that they might experience the love of Jesus in their most vulnerable time. We are trained to offer compassionate, distinctive Christian care and support to someone experiencing a difficult time in his/her life. The Stephen Minister does not provide solutions or answers but rather hears the concerns of the hurting person and commits them to God, trusting God to provide a way to healing and wholeness. With each experience, I offer my listening and prayerful heart and encourage the person to seek a deeper relationship with God.
Typically, I’m assigned to meet, on a weekly basis, with a person in need of Christian care. My experiences include care to the terminally ill, the hospitalized, those grieving a loss, the unemployed, the aging and elderly, those with disabilities, those needing support of a Christian friend, the divorced, those facing life transitions and those in spiritual crisis. No one circumstance is alike. Some are complicated and a challenge and some are easy and simple. Often times, I am impressed with the resiliency of the human spirit enduring the odds against them by taking small steps with hope.
Instead of being overwrought upon learning about the brokenness of so many people, I am able to put my trust in God at all times. I know that God, who is awesome and amazing, is faithful and can and will bring healing and wholeness to the one hurting.
I believe God calls all of us to a specific role to offer grace and hope where there is brokenness. Gifts that are part of our new life in Christ need to be shared. The skills I’ve learned, as a Stephen Minister is a life skill that can be used at anytime, anywhere and with whomever I meet. I am grateful that my effectiveness comes from claiming the gift of spiritual resources that God offers. My continued passion for this ministry is renewed day by day by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. I am fully reliant on God to use me to serve and help those in need. I’m excited to see how God will continue to do so in growing me.