Ron Klump has recently completed his training as a Stephen Leader and will be installed at Messiah Lutheran Church at Hazel Dell and Ridgefield campuses.

Ron accepted an invitation to attend a training funded by Messiah Lutheran Church. This included 10 interactive online sessions offered through Stephen Ministry St. Louis. Each session is two and a half hours long.

Cathy Haywood, a Stephen Leader at Messiah, encouraged Ron to join Stephen Ministry.

"I never thought of myself as a fit, Ron said. (Cathy) made me think maybe there's a fit." Ron said that he considers this a great step into Stephen Ministry. "It's amazing when people step up."

Ron says it's most important for people to know that there are people out there who need care. In his own experience, Ron said, "The Lord has a way of opening up your eyes and heart when you do things for others. It grows your own heart."

Ron grew up in a rural farming area in Ohio. He left home when he was 18 and worked for awhile in Washington DC until he was drafted. After his time in the military, Ron attended Northern Arizona University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in botany.

He met his wife Sandy at the Clark County Health Department, where he worked for a while. He worked for the Army Corps of Engineers, and started the field office in Vancouver in 2000.

That's when Ron and Sandy became members at Messiah Lutheran. Both Ron and Sandy have served as ushers and servers. Ron worked with the WHO (Winter Hospitality Overflow) shelter after he became a member of Messiah. He and Sandy also helped with the Wednesday soup kitchen.

Ron has also been involved in the Wallowa hikes and he has served as a CLT member for six years. He loves hiking, gardening, and leading wildflower hikes. He also is involved in doing rare plant surveys for the University of Washington.

Ron says it's important for people to know that there's a ministry that they can come to at Messiah.

"I'm looking forward to doing Stephen Ministry, seeing where it leads me, being able to accept the challenge God gave me," Ron said.