Jesus wept. When Jesus stood in front of Lazarus’s tomb and saw how painful this death was for Lazarus’s family and friends, he broke into tears. This is just one example of Jesus as a man of deep feelings. Jesus felt compassion, cared for his mother from the cross, expressed anger at Peter, and even enjoyed friends and a party. Jesus showed us that feelings are proper and pleasing to God, and he invites us to be fully feeling people.
Fully experiencing our feelings is challenging because while feelings can be delightful, they can also be very painful. When people suffer loss or face other crises, their feelings can overwhelm them. Some people fear their feelings, either knowingly or unknowingly, and try to push them down and hide them.
Stephen Ministry involves ministry to people’s feelings. Stephen Ministers listen to their care receivers as they share painful feelings, experiencing with him or her the deep feelings of sadness, fear, and despair that come with profound grief. They also may share their care receiver’s feelings of joy, hope, and gratitude to God for healing when it seemed that life was over. While we do have some wonderful, caring Stephen Ministers here at Bethlehem, we are in need of more. Would you please consider joining us? We plan to have classes starting late this fall or early winter.
If you or anyone you know is interested in this caring ministry, please contact Don Teply. You can also contact one of the Stephen Ministers who will put one of the leaders in touch with you.
