Ministry to Others

Stephen Ministry

Stephen Ministry has been at Orangewood Presbyterian Church since the late 80’s when Rev. Dale Bracey and Rev. Barbara Haddon were the ministers.  Rev. Haddon and Susie Hamblin continued the program through the early 90’s.  When changes were made in the ministerial staff and many people moved, the program was dormant until Debbie Harbinson and Peggy Hagan attended a Stephen Ministry workshop and became enthusiastic to reinstate the program.

With the encouragement of Rev. Brian Paulson, Peggy Hagan attended a Stephen Leader Training Course.  She and Millie Bartlett then trained a class of 10 beginning in October 2002.  That class is now giving the unique one on one lay care giving to members of our congregation.  The Stephen Ministers now at Orangewood include:  Millie Bartlett, Julie Claybaugh, Ellen Corkhill, Karey Kelley, Peggy Hagan, Dottie Hayes, John Hayes, Veida Lewis, Kaydie Marshall, Jeanne Matt, Esther Rabuck, and Jo Ann Wood.

Rev. Paulson and Julie Claybaugh recently attended the Leader Training Course in St. Louis so the program continues to grow in leadership and there is every hope that a new class of Stephen Ministers will begin their training in September 2003.

1984 -New Directions Prison Ministry
by Brenda Moser 1995

In the spring of 1984, the mission committee held a Wednesday night series on criminal justice.  Dr. Bob Cassady of Covenant Presbyterian Church described the “New Directions” program he had help to start at the women’s' prison here in Phoenix at 32nd street and Van Buren.

This course of study was written by a Presbyterian elder in New York State for use in correctional facilities.  It endeavors to provide the insights by which prisoners can get "in touch with themselves" to rediscover their humanity and worth.  Through a better understanding of self, persons can make better decisions and choices that will benefit themselves, those they care for, and the community as well.

In the summer of 1984, Marion and Clary Lusby and I attended the course inside the Arizona Center for Women each Monday night for 14 weeks.  Each week was a new topic building on the foundation laid the weeks before (feelings, consistency, needs, trust, values, communications, assumptions, decisions, freedom, etc.).

This is a program of guided participation and sharing in a group setting.  There are two to four people from "the street" as co-leaders and participants and 15 or so inmates.  Over these 11 years I believe there have been fourteen Orangewood members who have gone through the course as volunteer participants, and three of us have served many sessions in leadership roles.  Then many others from the metropolitan area churches of our presbytery have participated and served in leadership capacities.

All who have attended have new insights and understandings into who the female inmate is, what has happened in her life to place her in prison, and how the correctional system fails.  This Christ directed ministry reaches out to those in great need.