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 Third Church. In 2004, the
Board worked closely with Pam Foye, our Parish Visitor, and through
June of
2004 with Judy Pidcock, our Parish Associate for Congregational
Care.
Highlights and accomplishments of our ongoing
work, in 5 target areas, are identified below.
1. Hospitality
Ministry
Anne
Sievers and Otto Muller-Girard, Sr.,
co-leaders
Scheduled
volunteers to weekly copy tapes of the Sunday service and to deliver
the tapes
and the chancel flowers, along with roses marking birth and death
events, to
members in the hospital, recovering at home, or experiencing
life-changing
events.
Supported the
“Feasting on Friendship” freezer ministry, coordinated off-board by
Suzy
Hengerer, to provide helpful meals for shut-ins and those recovering at
home.
Supported Memorial
Receptions which are coordinated by Susie Jacobs, Deacon.
Researched further
the potential for implementation of a Transportation Ministry.
2. Parish
Ministry
Beth
Tschorke and Claire VanArsdale, co-leaders
Reorganized the
former Neighborhood Care Networks into parish groupings, to allow our
members
to more easily identify with their own parishes. Assigned Deacons
to each parish grouping.
Organized the
Rally Day seating by parishes, and fostered publicity of the event
through the
distribution of postcards identifying each member’s parish grouping and
assigned deacon. Followed up with phone
contact with members to encourage participation in Rally Day.
Fostered sense of community with
deacon-member interaction during Rally Day.
Supported parish
gatherings held by individual or combined parishes.
Scheduled deacons
for all coffee hours, and provided training for coffee hour
protocol.
Deacons encouraged participation by parish
members to assist with coffee hour baking and serving.
Provided training,
along with the Parish Associate and the Parish Visitor, for all deacons
in the
role of the deacon with respect to their individual parishes, to allow
them to
be more effective in their care ministry.
Updated the Deacon
bulletin board with current Deacons and Parishes.
3. Youth
Ministry
Nancy
Adams, leader
Organized care
packages sent to our freshman college students, with special
hand-written
notes, to remind them that they remain connected to Third Church.
Organized and
executed a brunch in June for graduating high school seniors, to wish
them well
and to thank them for their contributions to Third Church.
Organized a
December event for our youth/college students to reconnect over the
Christmas
break.
4. Prayer and
Spiritual Life Ministry
Pat
Rumbold, leader
Recruited
volunteers for the Prayer Cordon, and actively participated in it.
Organized pastoral
care luncheons on the following topics:
Cancer
Update: Myths and Insights (January 18, 2004)
End
of Life Planning (March 21, 2004)
Transition to New Parenting (November 7 2004)
5. On-going Care
Ministry
Tom
Klaseus, leader
Organized the
Senior Members’ Luncheon, held October 3rd with about 75 members
attending, an increase of about 25 members over last year’s
event.
Deacon Susie Jacobs prepared the meal. After the meal, Peter
Dubois led a hymn sing,
which proved to be a big success.
Arranged and
hosted afternoon teas for residents at Valley Manor, St. John’s Meadows
and The Highlands. We included members who reside at Wood Creek
at the Highlands tea this year.
Delivered
approximately 40 Easter lilies to members of our church family who are
homebound. We will also deliver poinsettias at Christmas
to this same group.
Additional Deacon Business
Contributed to the
“Messenger” through the Deacon’s Bench.
Participated in
New Member Orientation
Participated in
Spotlight Sunday with a booth and visual display, to promote
understanding of
the function of the Board of Deacons, to encourage active participation
in
deacon activities, and to facilitate recruiting efforts for membership
on the
board
Participated in
Officer Orientation on January 17th, and an officer gathering (to
facilitate communication among the boards) on May 21st.
Respectfully submitted,
Anne Sievers and Beth
Tschorke, co-moderators 12/01/04
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