STEPHEN MINISTRIES

DEACONS

OTHER OUTREACH

Stephen Ministry

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Stephen Ministry is the one-to-one lay caring ministry that takes place in congregations that use the Stephen Series system. Stephen Ministry congregations equip and empower lay caregivers—called Stephen Ministers—to provide high-quality, confidential, Christ-centered care to people who are hurting.

Stephen Ministers are congregation members trained by Stephen Leaders to offer high-quality, one-to-one Christian care to people going through tough times. A Stephen Minister usually provides care to one person at a time, meeting with that person once a week for about an hour. Twice a month, Stephen Ministers gather with their Stephen Leaders for supervision and continuing education.

Care receivers are people—congregation members and others in the community—who receive care from a Stephen Minister. These are people struggling through a difficult time in life—experiencing grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, or some other life crisis. Some important guidelines for this caring relationship protect both the care receiver and the Stephen Minister: The relationship between a care receiver and a Stephen Minister is confidential. Men are matched with men; women with women. When a care receiver’s needs exceed what a Stephen Minister can provide, the Stephen Ministry team makes a referral to an appropriate mental health professional or other community resources.

"For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."

MATTHEW 18:10

Deacons

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The deacons are lay ministers called to serve as spiritual leaders of the congregation. There are two emphases in our work: worship and the care of the congregation. For worship, deacons coordinate and serve Communion. They assist with baptisms and funerals, arrange for the altar flowers to be taken to shut-ins, and take communion to members who are home-bound or sick. To care for the congregation, deacons work closely with the Senior Pastor, visiting shut-ins, sending notes to members living in far corners of the state or out-of-state, providing prayer request cards so members can notify the church of their prayer needs, and supporting the Stephen Ministry program.

All who seek spiritual support or assistance may feel free to approach any of the deacons during Sunday services or contact us directly through the church office at office@kentucc.org or 330.673.9534

#outreach

Outreach

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Our Outreach Opportunities

Outreach shows our commitment to be at work in the world as agents of God’s justice, mercy, and peace. It’s not just something special that we do occasionally; it’s an integral part of who we are woven into the very fabric of our ministry. In addition to the special initiatives for which our members give generously of their time, talent, and treasure, a generous portion of our congregation’s annual operating budget is pledged to ministries that extend beyond our walls. These funds are put to work locally at the direction of the outreach committee and in UCC-related ministries through Our Church’s Wider Mission (OCWM). Also, we reach out by opening up…making our beautiful and convenient facilities available to other service and community groups and partner churches.

February — Have a Heart
March — One Great Hour of Sharing
May — Strengthen the Church
October — Neighbors in Need
December — Christmas

Mental Health Ministries

The Mental Health Ministries (MHM) is an umbrella organization of the Kent United Church of Christ. As a community committed to extravagant welcome, the MHM coordinates the efforts of several smaller groups in our church body that work to engage, support, and advocate for those with mental health issues in our community. 

MHM grew out of the Circle of Caring unit, begun in 2007, and has since continued to grow and expand. In 2015, MHM hosted the seminar “Humanity and Treatments in the Mental Health System” in the spring, as well as a fall series of public Community Conversations for Youth Mental Wellness. MHM partners with the Mental Health and Recovery Board of Portage County, NAMI, and more.

KUCC Ministries

There’s a place for you! All of our committees and ministries are seeking new members to serve, especially in January when ministry membership traditionally rotates. If you are interested in a committee or a ministry fill out this form to tell us about the opportunities that interest you. 

Coffee Hour & Second Sunday Luncheons: Coffee Hour is offered every Sunday following 10:30 a.m. service; new volunteers to host are always welcome! Our second Sunday lunches have proved to be a huge success, with upwards of 90 people staying after the 10:30 service to eat and enjoy fellowship. Volunteers are always welcome to help prep food, serve, and/or clean up!

Community Meals: Kent UCC, led by our youth groups, offers a third Sunday meal at 5 p.m. for those in our community who don’t always have access to a good meal or who might just enjoy the company. Individuals of all ages and gifts are invited to share in this ministry. You can help to prepare and serve food, welcome and engage guests, or pitch in with clean up. All are welcome to this intergenerational experience.

Education Ministry: The Education Ministry is responsible for educational programming in open, affirming, and enlightening ways to families, children, youth, and adults. The Ministry coordinates with professional staff a church school program for children, including VBS; a program of study, fellowship and service for our youth; a college-age program; and adult educational opportunities. This includes selecting the curriculum, recruiting, training and orientation of teachers, and management of supplies and the library. The Ministry coordinates with pastors concerning the annual confirmation program and the middle and high school youth groups, schedules and organizes the annual church retreat and coordinates the work of the Scouts with the church program.

Fellowship Ministry: The Fellowship Ministry is responsible for the coordination and planning of fellowship opportunities both in connection to worship services as well as other occasions. The Ministry coordinates holiday decorations and assists members in becoming acquainted with the congregation and involved in church activities.

Marketing & PR Committee: Marketing & PR works to develop effective communication with both the Kent UCC family and the wider Kent community. Our website,  Facebook, newspaper advertisements, and brochures and flyers are always an ongoing task of the Marketing committee.

Membership Committee: The Membership Committee welcomes fresh ideas for greeting and orienting those who would like to explore the prospect of membership. The committee periodically reviews attendance records to discern what members might benefit from personal contact and renewed ties and involvement with the church family.

Mental Health Ministry: The Mental Health Ministry provides leadership and support for the congregation to develop an understanding and to engage with love and respect those with mental illness and their families as children of God.

Nominating Ministry: The Nominating Ministry, with input from staff, members of other ministries, and other sources, gives consideration to and nominates church members for vacancies on the various ministries that occur because of term limits or resignations. In addition, the Ministry nominates persons to be ministry chair-Council members with the expectation they will serve in that role for three (3) years. The Nominating Ministry shall be responsible for assisting ministries in securing their minimum number of members.

Outreach & Benevolence: The Outreach and Benevolence Ministry assists the church in offering not only ourselves but also our resources for the work of God in our community and in the world. The Ministry initiates and develops outreach programs and concerns for Congregational support and educates the church membership to opportunities for ministry within and beyond the local congregation, involving the membership in such programs. Annually, the Ministry designates outreach programs for funding and establishes funding amounts for distribution throughout the year, to be reported in the annual congregational report.

Property and Finance Ministry: We are blessed to have an attractive and functional facility, and we are proud to be able to share it with other organizations. The Property and Finance committee is responsible for overseeing the material assets of the church: building, equipment, and real estate. They’re also responsible for the wise use of the church’s finances.

Rummage Sale Committee: The Rummage Sale Committee organizes, coordinates and leads the annual Rummage Sale held each September. The committee organizes volunteers, coordinates the pick-up and drop off of donated items, provides food for volunteers, organizes donations, and runs the Rummage Sale. The only people more valuable than the committee members are the volunteers – a few hours donated during the prep week reap rewards of fun, fellowship and good service!

Stephen Ministry: Stephen Ministers are committed to bring God’s love into the lives of people who are going through a difficult time or experiencing a crisis. Each minister has completed 50 hours of extensive training to prepare to provide confidential, one-to-one, Christian care, and continues to be supported through twice monthly supervision and education. A Stephen Minister meets with his or her care receiver once a week for around an hour to listen, care, pray, and provide emotional and spiritual encouragement, and provides this weekly support for as long as the need persists.

Stewardship Ministry: The Stewardship Ministry assists the congregation in exploring what it means to live as children of God by offering ourselves and our resources to do the work of God. In addition to the larger task of helping the congregation to be faithful stewards, the ministry directs the annual stewardship campaign.

Worship & the Arts Ministry: Interested in seeing more visual and performance arts included in the worship experience? The Worship and the Arts Ministry encourages and helps plan the use of music, visual, spoken and movement arts in the celebration of our faith through weekly worship, education, and special programming. The Ministry is both assisted by and provides assistance to the ministerial staff, director of music and other performance directors as helpful. The Ministry coordinates the donation of chancel flowers and indicates to the Deacons whether the flowers are available for distribution among members of the congregation. The Ministry coordinates the sign-up of members to be greeters, ushers and liturgical readers for Sunday worship services.