Stephen Ministry is Christ caring for people through people.
Galatians 6:2 “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
Stephen Ministry Congregations equip and empower lay caregivers – called Stephen Ministers – to provide high-quality, Christ-centered care to people who are hurting and going through tough times like grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, or some other life crisis.
A Stephen Minister usually provides care to one person at a time, meeting with that person once a week for about an hour. The relationship between a care receiver and a Stephen Minister is confidential. Men are matched with men and women with women.
Following are examples of support provided by Stephen Ministers to those going through crisis:
Please note, the Stephen Ministries does not replace a pastor’s care, it complements and expands the pastor’s care; it helps makes his schedule manageable.
Jacob’s Church is blessed with the gifted talents and dedication of believers in the music ministry. The purpose of the music ministry is to share the good news of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, strengthen the faith of the saints through songs, and lead the congregation in a traditional and contemporary style of worship to God through music.
Currently, we average 15 members in our adult choir which rehearses regularly on Thursday nights at 7:30 pm in preparation for Sunday morning worship. We thank God for their faithfulness to the music ministry which is inspirational to the church.
We also have a praise team that contributes to our blended Sunday morning worship service by leading the congregation in contemporary praise songs.
The Ministry of Freedom in Christ is to equip and resource the body of Christ to be alive and free in Him. It is our desire to see God’s children resolve their personal and spiritual conflicts and find their freedom in Christ to live and fulfill their purpose of glorifying God.
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. – John 15:8
The Greek word translated “fruit” refers to the natural product of a living thing. Paul used “fruit” to help us understand the product of the Holy Spirit, who lives inside every believer. The fruit of the Spirit is produced by the Spirit, not by the Christian. As we grow, all the characteristics of Christ will be manifested in our lives.
Yet, like physical fruit needs time to grow, the fruit of the Spirit will not ripen in our lives overnight. Like a successful gardener must battle against weeds to enjoy the sweet fruit they desire, we must constantly work to rid our lives of the “weeds” of our old sin natures that want to choke out the work of the Spirit. By renewing your mind through God’s word and prayer, we find a God who loves us and we fully realize that through the love of Christ we are secure, significant and accepted.
When the life of Christ is allowed to freely flow through an individual, that person can be used by God to positively affect their families, church and communities.
The Holy Spirit gives us the power we need to reject those old sinful desires. We can say “no” to sin and accept the “way out” God faithfully provides (1 Corinthians 10:13) by following the Holy Spirit’s leading.
Jesus Christ is the only answer to the problems of life, and His truth will set you free to be all that He wants you to be. The sooner people are freed from the baggage and pain of their unresolved inter-personal and spiritual conflicts, the better they are able to worship God and help others become fully-devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
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