Opportunity Details

Stephen Ministry Celebrates 25 Years of Service

25 years ago, Pastor Joe Calles, Gwen Hinton, and Sue Evans attended Stephen Ministry training with the aim of establishing a program at WUMC.  Since that time, 87 people have taken the training and been commissioned as Stephen Ministers or pastoral advisers.  On August 24th, Cheryl Cogswell was commissioned as the newest member of our Stephen Ministry team.  We estimate that well over 300 individuals have been served by our program.

Each Stephen Minister completes 50 hours of training to develop the skills needed to support individuals who face a wide range of challenging life experiences.  These may include grief, divorce, dependencies, life-threatening illnesses, loss of a job, pregnancy-related issues, depression, spiritual crises, loneliness, age-related transitions, and many others.  Stephen Ministers are available to provide one-on-one support to anyone who believes that they could benefit from weekly visits from a caring supportive Christian.  Confidentiality is an integral part of the program, and Stephen Ministers and their care receivers agree together when care is no longer needed.  Sometimes support is only needed for a short time, while longer relationships are often deemed to be desirable.  Stephen Ministers and care receivers alike often report that such relationships have enriched their lives.

A new Stephen Ministry training class is now forming which will provide training each Tuesday evening from January through May 2026.  The class will include participants from several Williamsburg-area churches.  If you would like to apply for this training program to become a Stephen Minister, or if you believe you might benefit from a relationship with one of our 16 trained Stephen Ministers, please reach out to Pastor Madison, Minister of Congregational Care, at 757-229-7117 or mailiinger@williamsburgumc.org.  She will put you in touch with a Stephen Ministry Leader who can discuss with you whether Stephen Ministry may be right for you.

If you are you passionate about helping others through difficult times, we invite you to consider joining this ministry by clicking the link below. 

I Want to Serve