Care  "Beloved, let us love one another." -- 1 John 4:7a

Board of Deacons 
2002 Annual Report

The Board of Deacons is an ordained body of 24 officers elected by the congregation to assist in the care of members, family and friends of the church. In 2002, the board worked closely with the Associate Pastor for Congregational Care, Judy Pidcock, and the Parish Visitor, Pam Foye, to carry out its caring responsibilities. The new initiatives and the ongoing work of The Board of Deacons during 2002 are listed below.

New Initiatives/Special Recognition Events – The Board of Deacons:

• “Feasting on Friendship” is a ministry that provides gifts of food for families who have an immediate need of a meal because of an illness, death in the family or an unexpected emergency. Bill and Tina Jones donated a freezer to the church to hold contributions of casseroles, soups, breads and desserts prepared by church members. Suzy Hengerer has volunteered to coordinate the freezer activity.
• The church honored Dr. and Mrs. Bush on their 100th and 101st birthdays with a special reception during the coffee hour after church.
• On October 27, the Deacons honored members of the congregation who joined the church 50 or more years ago. Each member was given a flower, was photographed in a group picture and was honored at a special reception during the coffee hour after church.

The ongoing work of the Deacons was planned and supported by subgroups or ministries of the Board. These included,

Prayer and Spiritual Life Ministry– Betty Iwan, leader

• Organized fall spirituality retreat which featured Sister Barbara Moore speaking to and guiding participants through prayer and discussion on the topic, “Is There Anything New About Community?”.
• Participated in the planning of the long time member recognition Sunday.
• Prepared to recruit volunteers for the prayer cordon and publish the Prayer Cordon booklet for 2003-2004.

Ongoing Care Ministry – Ann Haag, leader

• Arranged and served afternoon teas for residences of Valley Manor, St. John’s Meadow and the Highlands.
• Planned a fall luncheon and entertainment for older adults.
• Delivered Easter flowers, Christmas poinsettias and gift bags to church members who are mostly restricted to home.
• Scheduled periodic visits by volunteers to church members confined to home.
• Participated in the planning of the long time member recognition Sunday.

Hospitality Ministry (formerly Hospital and Crisis Ministry) – Marian Ertsgaard, leader

• Redefined its ministry to include the oversight of the coordinators of the Tape Ministry, Feasting on Friendship Freezer, Transportation, Coffee Hours as well as the Memorial Receptions and Sunday Flower Delivery.
• Scheduled volunteers to deliver flowers from the Sunday worship services to church members in the hospital, people recovering at home and people who were experiencing a life-changing event.
• Participated in the planning of the long time member recognition Sunday.
• With coordinator Suzie Jacob’s help, recruited volunteers to setup, serve and cleanup memorial service receptions.

Neighborhood Care Network Ministry – Sue Lipari, leader

• With the help of NCN coordinators, organized gatherings in many of the NCN neighborhoods.
• Recruited volunteers to provide transportation, deliver dinners and provide other help to church members in need.
• Dedicated an entire Deacon meeting to discussing ways to help Deacons and NCN Coordinators be more effective in their work within their NCNs.
• For the 2nd year, organized and publicized pew seating by NCNs on September Rally Day Sunday.

Youth Ministry – Tina Jones, leader

• In June, served breakfast and made presentations to church seniors graduating from high school.
• Expanded the list of e-mail addresses on a Third Church list serve to facilitate easy communication between youth who have graduated from high school within the past 4 years.
• Continued with the ‘care package’ program for Third Church youth that have just graduated from High School.
• In December, organized a youth get-together at a local restaurant during the Christmas holiday.

Other Deacon Business:

• Wrote a monthly Deacon’s Bench column in the “Messenger”.
• Maintained a list of e-mail addresses on a list serve to facilitate easy communication between Deacons. Maintained a group web page for easy access to Deacon minutes, lists and schedules.
• Maintained the Third Church Deacon web page with descriptions of the subgroups and a list of the NCNs with their zip codes and the Deacons who are assigned to them.

Betty Iwan and Susan Lipari, Deacon Co-Moderators 12/02/02