Concord United Methodist Church is a Stephen Ministry Congregation

What Does the Stephen Ministry Series Logo Mean?
The  Stephen Series logo consists of a cross and circle together with a broken person and a whole person.  The broken person behind the cross symbolizes the brokenness in our lives due to our sin and imperfections.  The whole person stands in front of the cross because it is only through the cross of Jesus that we are made whole.  The circle symbolizes both the wholeness  we receive through Christ and God's unending love for us.

Stephen Ministers Are Trained

Stephen Ministers go through a long period of training and preparations for this special ministry of care and concern.  Our Stephen Ministers have trained extensively in such areas as dealing with feelings, crisis intervention, asserting oneself with gentleness and firmness, and numerous other topics dealing with specific aspects of helping people who are experiencing problems in their lives.

Our Stephen Ministers  carry on a caring ministry here at CUMC and in the community.  They  work with people who are experiencing life crises such as hospitalization, retirement, financial setback, loss of a loved one, as well as many other problems people have in living their daily lives.  If you believe you could benefit from the care of a Stephen Minister, discuss the matter with Laura Moreau, who is the Stephen Leader in charge of referrals.

Commissioned Ministers are: Valerie Sergey,  John Sergey, Una Hopkins, Jim Hopkins, Suzanne Hargis, Nancy Howser, Linda Billingsley,  Linda Jinks, Sue McGuire, Diana Bauer, Diane Rogers, Kathy Evans, Karen Morones,  Chuck Morones, Greg Brumley, Harry Burt, Tom Riley, Kimberly Rohrberg, and Cory Simmons.

Confidentiality: It's the cornerstone of Stephen Ministry.  Stephen Ministers don't reveal anything their care receiver says - and don't even tell anyone who their care receiver is.  You can be assured that your Stephen Minister will keep quiet about what you share.  If you are interested in having a Stephen Minister, please call Laura Moreau at (925) 458-3309 or email her at or contact Pastor Rob.  You may reach him or any of the other Stephen Leaders through the church office.(925) 685-5260

Who is involved in the Stephen Ministry?

Stephen Leaders are the ones who oversee and direct our Stephen Ministry.  They recruit select, train, organize, and supervise our Stephen Ministers.  They identify people in need of care, and will match them with a Stephen Minister.  We have four Stephen Leaders at CUMC and they are: Pastor Rob Kirk, Marj Kerr, and Laura Moreau. 

Stephen Ministers are the care givers.  They have been through 50 hours of training in Christian care giving, including general topics such as listening, feelings, boundaries, assertiveness, and and using Christian resources in care giving.  In addition, their training covers specialized topics such as ministering to the divorced, hospitalized, bereaved, and aging. 

Care receivers are the recipients of Stephen Ministers care.  They are people from our church or community who are experiencing divorce, grief, loss of a job, loneliness, hospitalization, terminal illness, or any of an endless number of other life difficulties.  Stephen Ministers usually meet with their care receivers once a week for about an hour for as long as the care receiver will benefit by the relationship.

Contact our Stephen Minister Team Leaders:

Marj Kerr – 925-458-9051

Laura Moreau – 925-458-3309

To send an email, click on the name.