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 The twelve disciples (Judas had been replaced by Matthias; see Acts 1:23-26) called a meeting of the church leaders and it was decided to appoint seven of the church members to “wait on tables” (diakonein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
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 The twelve disciples (Judas had been replaced by Matthias; see Acts 1:23-26) called a meeting of the church leaders and it was decided to appoint seven of the church members to “wait on tables” (diakonein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
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