My name is Phil Yphantides. I work full time in the medical profession, and I first became involved with Standing Stone as a supporter and subsequently as a board member. The reason I joined in my support of Standing Stone as a ministry is that I grew up as a missionary kid overseas and then as the son of parents who are involved in ministry here back in the States.
And I saw the tremendous need that my parents had when they face difficulties where they needed a couple who were experienced in ministry to lean on. And they often didn’t have it. And I felt as a family member what that felt like and as an adult with a couple of my best friends being pastors. I’ve also watched them deal with the difficulty in not having a safe place outside of their own church or their ministry to meet with other ministry leaders who can help them through their crises and their difficult times.
Our frontline pastors and ministry leaders at the tip of the spear tend to be under attack, and they deal with challenges that are unique to church and parish church ministries that many of us outside of doing ministry outside, don’t have to deal with. And Standing Stone exists to provide experienced pastors and ministry leaders who can come alongside and in a confidential way, support our frontline leaders, keeping them accountable and restoring them and supporting them through the crises they face, giving them psychological hearing assistance that they can’t get anywhere else.
So that’s why I am a supporter. That’s why I’m now on the board of directors. I’ve met the tremendous leadership team that’s involved here, and I can tell you they are trustworthy people who have a passion for serving our ministry leaders on the frontline. For those of you who’ve already supported Standing Stone over the years, thank you. Thank you for your ongoing support.
For those who may be considering supporting Standing Stone as a ministry. I’d encourage you to read through our materials and the website online. I encourage you to read through the testimonials, and I would invite you to recognize the strategic long term impact that this organization has in literally engaging in tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands to millions of people across the world by keeping their leaders healthy.
