Ministries

It is the Lord's command for us to reach out and share his love with others. St. Andrew Presbyterian Church offers many programs to encourage our growth in Christ, with spiritual enrichment for members and visitors. The following programs are offered:

PARISH NURSING

Sharing God's healing love and wholeness with the world"

What is a Parish Nurse?

A Parish Nurse is a Registered Professional Nurse who serves as a member of the ministry staff of a faith community to promote the health and wholeness of the congregation, its families, and the individual members. The nurse serves the faith community through the independent practice of nursing as defined by the Florida Nurse Practice Act. The Parish nurse responds to a special call from our Lord to minister to the holistic health and well-being of the mind, body and spirit of the faith community.

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STEPHEN MINISTERS

Not only are our pastors committed to care for and support our members in difficult times, our congregation also has Lay Ministers who have been trained and commissioned to provide Christian care for others. A fine group of men and women who care for others are ready to serve.

Stephen Ministry is part of our Christian community - we are here for each other in good times and bad.
Stephen Ministers are caring, supportive Christian people who care to be with you in times of crisis, grieving and other needs.
Stephen Ministry is a confidential ministry in which one person reaches out to another in time of need.
It is a relationship on a regular basis with a person who has had training in many helpful skills.
It is a meaningful way for our church to provide and extend an active, ongoing, caring ministry for the people.
Stephen Ministers are not professional counselors or psychologists, ordained ministers, or experts in law, finance, etc.
Many have found the care and friendship of a Stephen Minister to be a source of strength, comfort, and guidance in times of trouble and confusion.
Whatever trial or emergency you experience in life, remember that you are not alone! Our risen Lord is with you and the staff and members of our congregation are prepared to be with you and help you in any way we can.

STEPHEN MINISTERS - caring men and women who care for others and are ready to serve. WE ARE ASKING YOU TO REFER NAMES, after you have gotten their permission, OF THOSE WHO MIGHT NEED A STEPHEN MINISTER. Please contact Marge Yarger 813-634-2730 for further information.

TEACHERS

Frank Nauman

Don Darling

Roger McDonell

Don Hering

Carolyn Petersen

TRAINED FACILITATORS

Mary Fadely

Phyllis Crawford

Eve Baker-Jones

Don Hering

Roxine Archbald

THE STORY OF STEPHEN MINISTRY

Stephen Ministry - where did it all begin? It dates back to 1974 when Kenneth C. Haugk, a pastor and clinical psychologist, was pastor of St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church in St. Louis, Missouri. Fresh out of seminary, his strengths and heart were in care giving ministry, and he was looking forward to making a positive impact on his congregation and community by providing pastoral care to all those experiencing divorce, grief, hospitalization, discouragement, and other life difficulties.

Very quickly, though, he found that the needs for care by far exceeded that which he alone could provide. He faced one of a pastor’s greatest frustrations: seeing people slipping through the cracks because their urgent needs are going unmet. In November of 1974, he discussed the situation with two seminary friends over a cup of coffee. The conversation turned to Ephesians 4 and “equipping the saints for the work of ministry.” Haugk realized that God didn’t intend for pastors to monopolize ministry. Rather, God gave all his people gifts for ministry and one of his roles as pastor was to equip others to use their gifts in ministry.

Haugk returned to St. Stephen’s with a plan. In the coming months he recruited nine lay people who had the gifts and heart to do caring ministry. He then used his combined backgrounds in theology and psychology to develop a training program in Christian care giving. By March 1975 the nine were commissioned as “Stephen Ministers.” Their first care receivers included a widower, a blind person, a young woman with cancer, a truck driver forced to retire early, and an inactive member struggling with faith issues.

The impact was immediate. People began receiving the focused Christian care they needed. Fewer people were slipping through the cracks, and Haugk found he had more time to perform his other pastoral duties. The Stephen Ministers were surprised by the spiritual growth they encountered as they saw God working through them to bring love and healing to others.

The story would have ended there, had not two of the Stephen Ministers cornered Haugk on a hot May morning after worship services. “This is good stuff,” they said to him. “We’re not going to let you go until you promise to bring this ministry to other churches!” Still wearing his vestments and perspiring from the heat, Haugk gave in and agreed to find a way to bring Stephen Ministry to other churches.

In November 1975, Haugk and his wife Joan founded the not-for-profit Stephen Ministries organization and began bringing Stephen Ministry to other congregations. It spread like wildfire. Saint Andrew Presbyterian Church is one of more than 7,000 congregations from more than 90 Christian denominations that now have been trained as Stephen Ministers, a number that grows by tens of thousands each year. More than a million people across the United States, Canada, and the world have been touched by God’s love through a Stephen Minister. And that is the mark of God’s doing, because finally the story of Stephen Ministry is a million stories and more of caring ministry.

Director of Stephen Ministry:

PRAYER FOCUS:

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