Title: God's listeners
Description: Who are 'God's Listeners'? In this, his first anthology, author John Sager guides his readers through a fictionalized account of the BeFrienders, a nation-wide, volunteer Christian ministry in place at each of the Covenant Retirement Communities twelve campuses. The program's mission is to come alongside people who are on a difficult part of their journey by providing a trained, compassionate BeFriender who will maintain confidentiality, listen, empathize, and represent his/her caring community in the name of Jesus Christ. BeFrienders are lay volunteers who--by actively listening to people in difficult and transitional situations, such as illness, loneliness, or loss of a loved one--embody the caring presence of God. BeFrienders accept people as they are and listen with compassion. Through spiritual and emotional care, BeFrienders encourage those they befriend to make their own decisions. Because their role is to care, not cure, the skills BeFrienders learn in training allow them to respond to spiritual and emotional needs with the confidence that they can provide a nonjudgmental and compassionate listening presence. BeFrienders gain a deeper understanding of unity in Christ by appreciating the value of each person. BeFrienders experience how Christ calls us to be together in joy and in pain.