FHPC Bylaws – Article VI.A.8-9: Amendments
There shall be a Board of Deacons consisting of no fewer than three (3) and no more than twelve (12) Deacons elected by the Congregation to serve a term of three (3) years. It shall be the duty of the Board of Deacons to give general care to the members of the congregation and any other duties given to the Board by the Session. The Board shall elect from its Moderator and any other officers or committee chair necessary for it to perform its functions.
Deacons
Jeanette
Simmons
Care Committee
Helen
Resch
Susan
Titus
Homebound Ministry
This ministry is responsible for reaching out to those in our congregation who:
- Do not come to church regularly due to age, illness, or other circumstance.
- Have not been at church for a while due to illness or other circumstance.
- Are unable to get out and about without assistance from friends or others.
- Are struggling with physical, mental, or spiritual issues.
This ministry also reaches out to those in our community who may not yet be in our congregation, but whose need has been observed.
The Deacon chair of this ministry is responsible for collecting information from Deacons and Care Committee members on the contacts they made each month, and for ensuring that there is adequate Deacon support for the congregation.
The duties of this ministry include, but are not limited to:
- Maintaining a Personal Contact database for each year which identifies the name of the individual contacted, the service provided to them, and that date of that contact. Those services include:
- Visits (at home, or at a care facility)
- Phone calls made
- Cards sent
- Transportation delivered (see transportation below)
- Deliveries (including soup, meals, flowers, etc.)
- Dividing the families in the Church Directory among the members of the Deacon Board and Care Committee so that most of the people in the church directory are contacted regularly by a deacon.
- Working with the Deacons and Care Committee to maintain and review the list of people to whom we deliver plants in (Christmas and Easter) and Thanksgiving meals.
Special Needs
This is a group of ministries that ensures that the special needs of our congregation are addressed.
The Deacon chair of these ministries ensures that there are Deacons or Care Committee members who volunteer to perform these functions, provides oversight, and reports status of these ministries at Regular Deacons Meetings. These include:
Birthday Calls: Everyone in the church directory receives a call on their birthday on behalf of the Deacons and the Church. The church Administrator provides the list of people whose birthdays fall in the next month, and someone volunteers to make these calls for a given month. That person is not always a Deacon or Care Committee member, and there are other members of the congregation who enjoy making these calls.
Home Touch: There is a weekly newsletter that the church subscribes to that is mailed to certain individuals in the church that have expressed an interest in receiving them.
Each month, one of the Deacons or Care Committee members volunteers or is assigned to hand write a brief note or prayer at the top of each newsletter for a given month. A Deacon or Care Committee member coordinates those assignments and works with the church Administrator to make the newsletter available for the person writing the note, and returning the completed pages to the Administrator.
Food Ministry: A member of our congregation has a Food Safety Certification and makes individual portions of soup or light meal and places them in a freezer for delivery to people in our congregation or community in need.
The Deacon or Care Committee member responsible for this ministry records the deliveries of these items and arranges for new batches to be provided when all of the items in the freezer have been delivered.
Transportation: This ministry is responsible for coordinating and providing transportation for people who attend our church who cannot travel on their own to doctors’ appointments, pharmacy, grocery store, or other places to meet vital needs.
Often, the church Administrator will receive a call from one of these individuals then contact the Deacon Board to arrange the required transportation. In other cases, personal friendships between Deacons, Care Committee members and people at the church are such that these rides are arranged directly with the Deacon or Care Committee member.
Memorial Receptions
The Deacons are responsible for coordinating, staffing, and often providing light refreshments for memorial services conducted for people that attend our church.
A Deacon or Care Committee member is responsible for coordinating the efforts for these receptions. Those duties include, but are not limited to:
- Providing ushers for the memorial service if conducted at the church.
- Working with the church Administrator to determine what type of refreshments are requested and if they will be provided by the family of the deceased or by the Deacons.
- Setting up the location of the memorial reception (usually the Fellowship Center).
- Ensuring that there are sufficient tables and chairs for the number of guests expected.
- Providing a space for photographs and other memorabilia.
- Covering the tables with tablecloths and centerpieces.
- Providing light refreshments.
- Serving light refreshments.
- Cleaning up after the reception.
- Arranging for cleaning of any tablecloths that are soiled during the reception.
- Working with caterers if the memorial reception is catered.
New Members
Whenever someone becomes a member of our church, a Deacon or member of the Care Committee pays them a visit and delivers a packet of materials including a membership certificate and information regarding opportunities to become involved in the life of the church.
The Deacon or Care committee member who visits the new member often brings a baked good with them and answers any questions the new member may have.
The Deacon or Care committee member who visits the new member often brings a baked good with them and answers any questions the new member may have.
