Are you experiencing a difficult time in your life? Life is full of ups and downs. Sometimes life may seem more than you can handle alone.

Are you adjusting to:

• the death of a loved one?
• a serious illness?
• a change in marital status?
• a new job?
• a recent move?
• a difficult time because of other life circumstances?

Do not struggle alone. A Stephen Minister can listen and help you get through confusion, stress or loneliness.

What is a Stephen Minister?
A Stephen Minister is…

• A child of God who walks beside a hurting person.
• A caring Christian who really listens.
• A member of the community who has received 50 hours of training in how to provide distinctively Christian care.
• A person who is ready to focus on your needs.
• A trustworthy confidant who will keep everything you say and your identity confidential.
• Someone who will faithfully meet with you on a regular basis.

Is a Stephen Minister right for me?
Stephen Ministry is right for you if your basic coping skills are intact, but you could use another’s caring presence to assist you as you journey though life’s transitions and challenges. Our Stephen Ministers provide confidential, one-to-one Christian care to help you through a difficult time. In rare occasions, Stephen Ministers must share confidential information in order to save a life. Those
occasions are suicide, homicide or abuse. If your Stephen Minister feels you need greater assistance, he or she will encourage and help you in seeking professional care.

How can a Stephen Minister help me?
On any given day, 27 to 49 percent of St. Cloud Hospital inpatients do not declare a spiritual community. Stephen Ministers fill this spiritual gap for our patients, employees or volunteers who are:

• Terminally or chronically ill.
• Hospitalized or recovering at a home or nursing home.
• Grieving the death of a loved one.
• Anticipating the birth of a child (planned or unplanned) and the families involved.
• Disabled or caring for an ill or disabled family member.
• Dealing with divorce or separation.
• Unemployed or in a job crisis.
• Lonely or discouraged.
• Facing a life transition.
• Experiencing a spiritual crisis.
• In the process of moving into or out of the hospital.
• Facing countless other life challenges or transitions and could benefit from the care of a supportive Christian friend.

How can I find out more?
If you or someone you know (a friend, neighbor, coworker or relative) could benefit from this type of care, get in touch with a Stephen Minister today.

The Stephen Minister process:
1. Call Spiritual Care at (320) 251-2700, ext. 54621, or ask your nurse to make an EPIC referral to Spiritual Care for a Stephen Minister.
2. The Spiritual Care Referrals Coordinator meets with you to talk about Stephen Ministry.
3. With your permission, the Referrals Coordinator assigns a Stephen Minister to meet with you on a regular basis.
4. The Stephen Minister provides distinctly Christian and strictly confidential care.
5. Stephen Ministers meet twice monthly for peer group supervision, a forum which provides support and advice for Stephen Ministers while maintaining strict confidentiality.

Stephen Ministry is a free service sponsored by St. Cloud Hospital Spiritual Care.