Stephen Ministry
What Is Stephen Ministry? 
Stephen Ministry equips lay people to provide confidential, one-to-one Christian care to individuals in our congregation and community who are experiencing difficulties in their lives. Stephen Ministry is a confidential ministry: The identity of those receiving care and what takes place in each caring relationship remains absolutely private.
A Stephen Minister Is...
- A child of God who walks beside a person who is hurting
- A congregation member with gifts for care giving who was carefully selected to serve in this role
- A lay person who has received 50 hours of training in providing emotional and spiritual care
- A caring, Christian friend who listens, cares, prays, supports and encourages
- Someone who will ‘be there' for his or her care receiver, meeting faithfully for about an hour each week, for as long as there is a need.
Stephen Ministry Is Your Ministry
You play an important role in our Stephen Ministry. Here's what you can do:
- Pray for God to bring hope and healing to hurting people through our Stephen Ministry
- Accept care from a Stephen Minister during your time of need. God doesn't expect you to bear your burdens alone.
- Tell a friend, neighbor, coworker, or relative who is hurting about Stephen Ministry.
- Consider becoming a Stephen Minister
if you are a good listener and a compassionate person.
If you are interested in receiving care from a Stephen Minister, making a referral for a friend, or becoming a Stephen Minister yourself, please contact us here
Who Are Our Stephen Ministers?
We are lucky to have the following Stephen Ministers at the Episcopal Church of Jackson Hole
| Devvie Asel | Joni Mack Weed |
| Susan Durkin | Trent Moore |
| Kris Gridley | Kelly Sales |
| Margaret Hutton | Ed Schmitt |
| Matthew Lee | Judith Schmitt |
| Georgia Ligori |
Testimonials From Two Stephen Ministers
"Participating in the Stephen Ministry training was a very meaningful experience for me. Through this experience, I have grown in my own faith and feel that I have formed special friendships and a unique bond with the other Stephen Ministers. The training also deepened my commitment to St. John's.
I look forward to continuing this spiritual journey through Stephen Ministry with St. John's by serving others when the occasion arises."
-Susan Durkin
"As many of you know, the Sales family is the reason St. John's needed a full-time pastoral care person. The support that St. John's has given my family has made a difference in all of our lives. When Fr. Ken first spoke about Stephen Ministry, I was immediately interested. Maybe this was the way I could give back to the community that had given me so much. I was a little apprehensive at first. Would I have to tell people outside of St. John's that I was a Christian? Would I be called on to pray in public? This was asking a lot. Throughout the course of study, I began to look at how I was living my life as a Christian. It wasn't very comfortable, but I had a lot of inspiration. My fellow travelers were generous in sharing their own journeys. I would often leave a class feeling both honored and humbled. I began to look at my relationships differently. I worked on changing things that until a few months ago I would have thought impossible to change. To say that Stephen Ministry training has made a transformation in my life doesn't really seem adequate. I feel very blessed to be a part of Stephen Ministry at St. John's Church, and I am looking forward to sharing my faith."
-Kelly Sales
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