Mary Larrabee’s life was a mess! Her marriage ended in divorce, she underwent two major surgeries, and then her grown son was murdered.
It was as though a manure truck kept backing over her and dumping on her. She was matched with Kathy, a Stephen Minister and a fellow member of her church, who met with her each week for about a year.
Kathy would hold her hand and listen and pray with her. She didn’t give Mary specific
hope through her own faith and faithfulness.
Although it wasn’t the case for Mary, in many instances, a care receiver in time becomes a care giver. Do you know someone who could use a good listener and whose faith
might light the way for someone else?”
Joel Bretscher
At their first meeting, the two discovered a mutual love of baseball and moved on from there to his love of his wife and his need to deal with his loneliness. Joel volunteered to go to church with him so he wouldn’t be alone. But the man suffered a heart attack and didn’t go after all.
Joel built a stronger relationship with him as they traveled together through his illness
surgery, promising as it had seemed, had not saved his life. Despite Joel’s grief over the loss of his friend, Stephen Ministry came to mean to him a life well lived and a faith practiced by caring for others. “Christ’s presence with us,” Joel says, “transformed us both!”
Bill Arnsparger
Asked about similarities between Stephen Ministry and football, Coach Arnsparger said, “Stephen Ministry builds confidence, both in the Stephen Minister and in the care receivers. It takes teamwork among Stephen Ministers and their leadership team to bring comfort and support for each person. Every opportunity to care is a new challenge, a new experience, just as each game is in football!” As he says, “The experience has brought Bill Arnsparger closer to the Lord!”
Steve Feith
Yet, as a naval officer, it had been his job to fix problems