STEPHEN MINISTRY

Stephen Ministers are caring members of our church family who have been specially trained to provide confidential support, guidance, encouragement and prayer to people experiencing a difficult period in life. Going through a “dark valley” is much easier when someone is by your side and that’s what Stephen Ministers are trained to do.

If you or someone you love is experiencing a divorce, grief, death of a loved one, unemployment, relocation, aging, depression, sense of stagnation in life, serious illness, bearing the burden of caring for someone long-term or other of life’s struggles, then Stephen Ministry is right for you.

All care is from a distinctively Christian perspective. For information about the Stephen Ministry or on how to receive help from a Stephen Minister, please contact Chris Reny at (954) 462-6200, ext. 220. All Stephen Ministry conversations are strictly confidential.

HEALTH MINISTRIES

God’s desire is that we all are whole and experience His Shalom in all aspects of life. Therefore, we are developing a new ministry here at First Presbyterian Church that will integrate physical, emotional, relational and spiritual health. This ministry will be a resource to the entire congregation and will assist with such things as health education, home visits, AAC and helping new mothers, as well as the possibility of beginning a Parish Nurse program here at First Presbyterian Church. If you are interested in helping us discover new and effective ways to bring care to the hidden needs of life as well as the visible ones, please contact Mary Ellen Rosen (954) 792-6678, Maggi Gibbs (954) 767-8854, or Kathy Molinet (954) 522-0326.

VISITATIONS

The pastors of First Presbyterian Church visit its members in our local hospitals. Members are asked to notify the church if they know of someone who has been recently hospitalized or when they have a scheduled hospitalization. Due to privacy laws, hospitals are prohibited from contacting us, even when you list our church on your admission forms.  We depend on you to let us know so we can provide any needed Pastoral care.

Dr. Neumann, as Pastor Emeritus with over 50 years of service to this congregation, and Dr. Anderson, Parish Associate, provide Pastoral care with a special focus on those members and their families who have special needs or who are shut-in or in Nursing Home Care. They also provide Pastoral presence to the Adult Activity Center Program of the church for those Senior citizens in our church and community. A special effort is made to bring the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper on a regular basis to those in need of special care by Dr. Anderson and an Elder.  He also joins with the rest of the pastoral staff to see that our hospitalized members are visited on a regular basis during their hospitalization.

Rev. Chris Reny has served as a Pastor of this church for over 10 years. Chris is the Pastor to Congregational Care. His main objective is to make sure that each member of our congregation gets the compassion, love and support that we as a church family provide. He makes weekly visits to members in hospitals as well as to our homebound members. If you have any questions Chris is here to serve you in any way he can.

In addition to local hospital visits, the Board of Deacons visit members who are homebound in local residential care facilities or are restricted to their homes due to age, illness, or recovery. If you know of a member who falls into this category, please call Rev. Chris Reny at (954) 462-6200 ext 220 or Rev. Dick Anderson at (954) 462-6200 ext. 215 so we may arrange for visitation.