MORE STEPHEN MINISTERS NEEDED AT VETERANS HOME

Anyone can come to visit veterans living at the Missouri Veteran's Home in Cape Girardeau, but only a few people make the commitment to develop a long-term, caring relationship with them.

Some of those people are Stephen ministers, and more are always needed. A new class for people interested in Stephen ministry will begin in January.

Stephen ministers develop one-on-one counseling and pastoral care relationships with residents at the veterans home. Each volunteer is assigned one resident that they visit and contact weekly."Anyone can come to visit, but we're not the same kind of volunteer," said Jeanette Driscoll, a veterans home staff member who coordinates the Stephen ministry program.

Stephen ministers have accumulated nearly 6,000 volunteer hours at the veterans home since the program began about three years ago. The fourth class is slated to begin Jan. 17 and will meet each Monday from 7-9 p.m. through the end of April. Class size is limited to 15. Anyone interested in learning more about the program should call the Rev. Lou Launhardt at 243-7338 or the Veterans Home at 290-5870.

About 15 people are currently involved in the Stephen ministry program at the veterans home. The programs retention rate is probably so high because it offers continual support to volunteers, said the Rev. Lou Launhardt, chaplain for the veterans home."They aren't stuck when they reach an obstacle," he said. Other volunteers and staff are constantly relating to them and offering support when they reach a point of frustration in their counseling.

Launhardt said Stephen ministers aren't supposed to be finding solutions to residents problems, but offering a listening ear. "One of the things we learn and that we continue to hear is that we have to be a good and active listener," Driscoll said. "We aren't solving problems but listening to them."Stephen ministers meet twice each month with other lay ministers to discuss their progress and problems. Each minister completes 50 hours of training before meeting individually with a veteran. There is no list of requirements in a Stephen minister, Launhardt said. There is an interview and application process, however. The Stephen ministry program helps meet the religious needs of residents, whose participation is voluntary.