The deacons continue to do good work, visiting those who are in the hospital or care centers, offering their prayers, and keeping in touch with those who can no longer attend worship. Do you know who your deacon is? You can also see them “behind the scenes” bringing flowers, setting up for communion, and making phone calls to invite you to church events. We don’t have a “Deacons appreciation month” but if we did, I’d encourage you to seek out and thank your deacon for their work. (A list of all the deacon assignments is posted in the Fellowship Hall.)
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A congregational meeting will be held after worship on Sunday, May 22nd to elect new officers (elders and deacons). Remember to submit your nominations to the nominating committee via Janet H. We are always looking for those who are gifted and called by God.
We have been blessed by the service of ruling elders and a deacon whose terms of service have now ended. Thank-you to Rod D. for his service on the session these past three years. We have appreciated his service in increasing outreach, on the nominating committee, and serving as our liaison to the board of Deacons. Thank-you to Gay H. for completing his second three-year term as a ruling elder. It has been a blessing to have Gay coordinate building and grounds and rally all of us for congregational life events. Thank-you to Bev F. for her service these past three years on the Board of Deacons. Bev has been a caring support to the church members and friends on her deacon list, and has enriched our worship by making sure we had flowers each week. Thank-you to all three of these leaders and we look forward to seeing in what new ways they will serve God and the church in the future. Hello from your friendly neighborhood deacons! The deacons have decided to reach out to our beloved congregation through The Caller to let you know a little more about us. Our moderator Don C. has put together a brief history of the deacons. One of the duties of the early Christian Church was to distribute and serve food to Christians. The twelve disciples (Judas had been replaced by Matthias; see Acts 1:23-26) called a meeting of the church leaders and it was decided to appoint seven of the church members to “wait on tables” (diakonein trapezais). They chose the seven and then they prayed and laid their hands on them and dedicated them to the task of waiting on tables. This allowed the other leaders of the church to devote themselves to praying and preaching (This is described in Acts 6:1-6). This group of seven people was the first deacons committee. The Book of Order of the Presbyterian Church says: “The office of deacon as set forth in the Scripture is one of sympathy, witness, and service after the example of Jesus Christ.” Pastor Earl S. Johnson , Jr. says in his book The Presbyterian Deacon (pp1-2): “Traditionally, deacons are people persons. Their hearts go out to those in distress; to members who have suffered loss; to neighbors in the hospital; to friends who have lost their job; to new parents who are confused by a wonderful, sudden, and challenging change in the responsibilities of life; to new members who need a word of welcome; to members who are shut in and lonely and cannot leave their homes; to people in the community who have lost their way and can no longer find God; to those who are economically oppressed and do not have adequate places to live or enough to eat;….” We hope this helps to have a bit of background on the deacons so we can all understand their position in the church. We would also like to remind everyone that there is a list of who your individual deacon is. This list can be found on the farthest bulletin board in the fellowship hall. Hopefully you’ll be able to look for more from the Deacons. -Mandi S Are you on the church email lists? We have two: one for general announcements, and the other for prayer requests from our congregation as well as the community at large. Contact Pastor Amy or Ellen H to be added to these lists. Prayer is one of the ways we uniquely serve our community, and we’d love to have you add your prayers as we pray for those in need.
New officers were elected at a special congregational meeting on Sunday, June 21st. Congratulations to all! Ordinations and installations will occur during worship on July 12th. The next meeting of both boards will include both incoming and outgoing officers. Thank-you for your willingness to serve!
Deacons – The deacons are now meeting quarterly. At their most recent meeting they updated their “care lists.” Each deacon has a list of members & friends of our congregation that they pray for and keep in touch with during the year. If you don’t know who your deacon is, a list is posted in the Fellowship Hall. Your deacon can be helpful in guiding you to the resources offered by the church in times of need, grief, or celebration. Thank-you to the deacons for all that you do to make our congregation so caring and compassionate. Congregational Life – You are invited to meet after church on Feb. 8 to plan the next round of fun activities for Edmonds Pres! Want to go bowling? See a play? Game Night? Would you like to have a potluck or a hymn sing? Stay for a few minutes and share your ideas with Session Elders Gay H. and Grace P. |
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February 2024
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