View From the Manse 2.0

 

It has been an extremely busy fall. Let me see if I can cover a few highlights:

 

          First, our nominating committee met on 3 separate occasions through the month of October to fill some empty seats on our boards. We elect elders, deacons, and trustees each year (these are the boards of our church). Elders serve our church by providing vision and shepherding the congregation. Deacons serve our church by providing ministries of mercy; they are the arm of compassion in our congregation. Trustees serve our church by leading our efforts to steward the resources God has given us.

          A majority of the nominating committee is selected at our annual meeting, with 1 more member chosen from among the deacons and 2 more chosen from among the elders. Once elected, a board member can serve 2 terms of 3 years each (a total of 6 years) and then they must cycle off. If you have served in the past, it is possible that you may be asked to serve again. Some who are elected choose to serve only 1 term. This year we had 3 elders, 1 deacon, and 3 trustees to replace. Thank you to Bob Black, Deb Bailey, Deb Randles, Mary Ellen McDougall, Mary Ellen Bain, Carl Johnson, and Sam Steinberg for your service to our church. Please pray as men and women in the congregation are approached and asked to serve on these boards.

          Second, I mentioned that we want to form a couple of committees to help guide our church. The first is a response team. Every once in a while, we have a medical issue within our church on Sunday morning. Someone falls or someone becomes short of breath or light headed. There are people in our church who are trained to help in these sorts of situations. This committee will take a look at the equipment we have on property to help handle these situations and talk about who can take lead in these situations.

          The other committee is meant to help rebuild our children’s ministry. We have had a number of shakeups in our children’s ministry over the past 5 years. We used to have 3 paid Sunday morning staff who helped in our nursery and children’s church. We currently have 1. When COVID happened in 2020, our entire ministry was upended and it hasn’t really found it’s footing since. This group will help coordinate our nursery, children’s church, and Sunday school classes. We want to have a coherent and flexible vision that supports our parents in their work of discipleship from the nursery all the way into high school. Our motto at APC is Making disciples who make a difference. That vision starts with our parents and their children. We want your feedback for this task; look for a survey coming soon.

          Finally, our budget committee met and discussed a few possible changes in the year ahead. We may need to hire a children’s ministry coordinator (this will continue to be discussed by the above committee and the session). There is a good chance that the boiler under McLean Hall will need to be replaced in 2025. The copier in the office is 10 years old and likely towards the end of its lifespan. And, it has recently come to our attention that the stove in the kitchen is no longer trustworthy and in need of replacing. There is some money set aside for this sort of thing, but your faithful giving continues to be important.

          It has been a busy few months and God has been faithful. As a church, we are heeding the words of Proverbs, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” God is good. He is trustworthy. We will look to him to provide for us and guide us in all these things.

 Bryan Fitzgerald, Pastor (bryan@argylepresbyterian.org)