The Stephen Ministry: Touching Hearts with God’s Healing Mercy

On September 25, 2018, Miles Smith began his journey with the Stephen Ministry, and it has been a beautiful experience of stewardship ever since.

“I wanted to join in order to stay active in the parish and continue working with people,” Miles says. “I have a special memory of meeting my very first care receiver and getting to know him. Although I no longer work with this care receiver in the Stephen Ministry, we have become incredibly good friends since then.”

Miles is currently serving as the leader of the Stephen Ministry, which is an outreach that provides care ministers who listen to anyone with problems and issues, in a caring and non-judgmental way. They help people of various faith traditions and walks of life.

Throughout the past year, the Stephen Ministry has kept up and running, despite the major obstacles imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.

“When COVID hit, many ministers began meeting with their care receivers via Zoom or by telephone, instead of in person,” Miles says. “We continue having our bi-monthly team supervision meetings with Zoom, as well.”

As the saying goes, God cannot ever be outdone in generosity, and He always rewards those who share His love with others. Stephen Ministers such as Miles find that participating in this outreach has brought them great joy of heart and helped them grow in their relationship with Christ.

“I enjoy interacting with my fellow team members, as well as with our care receivers,” Miles says. “Spiritual growth usually comes from having genuine compassion for others, as well as a desire to actively help them. It is important for Catholics to remain grounded in their faith and to maintain a sincere desire to help people.”

Ultimately, the Stephen Ministry lends us an ideal reflection of the stewardship vision. It unites our parish community and shows that we genuinely care about one another as one family in Christ.

“Stewardship is about serving people in need, and that is just what Stephen Ministry is all about,” Miles says. “When you practice stewardship, it helps you to stay connected with everyone in your parish.”

Having recently volunteered to lead this ministry, Miles has a fresh, positive attitude about the impact it can make on others.

“I hope the ministry will grow to be able to serve even more potential care receivers in the future,” he says.

The Stephen Ministry will need more volunteers as limitations due to the coronavirus are relaxed. For further information on how to help with this beautiful ministry of God’s mercy, please contact Linda Burns at 817.689.1587.

In 2018, Miles Smith began his journey with the Stephen Ministry, and it has been a beautiful experience of stewardship ever since.