School's almost out for the summer! Teachers and students of all ages are looking forward to a well-deserved summer break.
Did you know that Stephen Ministers are also students? Stephen Ministry is part of the care ministries at South Delta Baptist Church, and our Stephen Ministers are lay persons trained and equipped to walk alongside people going through challenges of many kinds. And we continue our education with monthly speakers or presentations on a variety of topics.
We recently had a couple of excellent and very informative sessions from two organizations that belong to Fellowship Pacific (of which SDBC is also a member) and we would like to share with you a little of what we learned in these education sessions.
1. WINGS Ministries – Lorrie Wasyliw (Executive Director) and Jane Muema-Ngui (Spiritual Care and Wellness Co-ordinator) of WINGS gave us an excellent presentation on the many resources and services that WINGS provides to women fleeing domestic abuse. WINGS stands for Women in Need Gaining Strength and we were amazed at the breadth of the resources and services that they provide to women, children, men, and anyone supporting those who have experienced or are experiencing intimate partner abuse. These services range from emergency housing in transition houses, multicultural outreach, counselling services, and workshops for all stages of healing from domestic abuse.
We learned that domestic abuse can be physical, but also includes emotional, mental, sexual or financial abuse. Domestic abuse is often shrouded in fear, shame and secrecy and yet affects many women within our communities. Taking steps away from abuse is important and do-able. Lorrie and Jane provided us with many stories of hope, healing and restoration from the women and families that they have walked alongside and shared many valuable resources with us. Women in these circumstances need not feel alone.
2. Baptist Housing VP of Spiritual Care, Matt Kitchener, presented an excellent session entitled, The Weird and Beautiful Ministry of Spiritual Care for the Dying. Using two pieces of ancient art, Ars Moriendi (1450 AD) and Rembrandt's Jermiah lamenting over Jerusalem (1630 AD; pictured above), Matt gave us a beautiful and encouraging pathway for walking through the Valley of the Shadow of Death with loved ones. These include finding the Story of a person's life, seeing the Gap between what was and what is now, unearthing the Treasure of who they were created to be, and being a Presence for those who are nearing death.
Our Mission Statement at SDBC Stephen Ministry is: We exist to faithfully bring the healing love of Christ to those who are hurting, with compassion and skill, always maintaining confidentiality.
If you would like more information on either of the two topics highlighted above, or about Stephen Ministry at SDBC, please do not hesitate to reach out to our ministry by confidential email by clicking the button below.
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