Council of Deacons, 2008


2008 Council of Deacons

From the Spire
February 1, 2008

After two postponements because of snowstorms, the 2008 Council of Deacons, which was elected in November, has met twice now to organize ourselves for the work ahead.  Since this is the first year of the new plan all of the members were elected at once, while in the future half of the members will be elected at one time.  The plan was for half of this original group of deacons to have two-year terms and half one-year terms.  We accomplished this by drawing numbers out of a hat.  The deacons with one-year terms are Hong Chin, Anita Clarke, Connie Dugan, Tim Durning, Jill Lewis, Doug Record, and Mike Rich.  Those with two-year terms are Valerie Censabella, Don Cohn, Linda Cohn, Karen Friedman, Bev Miller, Sandy Sherburne, Jeff Steinheider, and Barbara Wagner.  Deacons with one-year terms will be eligible for reelection next fall.

We elected the following officers for 2008:

  • Moderator:  Linda Cohn

  • Vice-Moderator:  Mike Rich

  • Clerk:  Valerie Censabella

Additionally, we appointed Ken Miller as Treasurer and Kathy Richardson as Financial Secretary subject to approval at Annual Meeting.

Each of the seven ministries in our new organizational plan will have at least one deacon who will serve on that ministry and act as a liaison for that ministry to the Council. 

The ministry assignments for 2008 are as follows:

  • Administration:  Valerie Censabella and Don Cohn

  • Christian Education:  Barbara Wagner

  • Fellowship and Care:  Hong Chin, Karen Friedman, and Bev Miller

  • Finance and Property:  Tim Durning and Jeff Steinheider

  • Membership:  Anita Clarke and Sandy Sherburne

  • Mission and Justice:  Jill Lewis and Mike Rich

  • Worship and Music:  Connie Dugan and Doug Record

Bill Albright, Kate Lindheim, and Kathy Richardson will attend meetings of the Council of Deacons.  We have an e-mail address (Council-of-Deacons@pacc-ucc.org) that will reach all of the deacons plus Bill, Kate, and Kathy.  If you are sending e-mail that is not meant for this whole group, it is better to use our individual e-mail addresses.

All of us on the Council of Deacons are looking forward to an exciting year of putting into operation our churchs new organizational plan.

Opportunity Sunday, February 10

Usually at this time of year we elect at Annual Meeting officers and committee members to terms of one or more years to conduct the work of the church.  The philosophy of our new organizational structure is to get away from the model of elected committees and boards and to let people volunteer to serve the church in various ways without committing to a year or more of monthly meetings.  The work of the church still needs to be done, however, and its up to all of us to make happen all the things that we consider essential to our mission as a church.

The Council of Deacons is designating Sunday, February 10, as Opportunity Sunday.  This is your chance to learn more about ways to serve the church and sign up to work in one or more of the seven ministries that are part of our new structure.  Immediately after the service will be a potluck luncheon.  Information tables will be set up about each of the ministries, and deacons will answer questions about opportunities to serve.

If you are experienced in some area of church work and enjoy doing it (Hospitality Committee, for example, or Christian Education Committee, or helping with property maintenance), we encourage you to sign up and indicate your willingness to continue to help in that way.  We certainly need people with experience doing what needs to be done around the church.   If,  on the other hand,  youre  tired of the same job  youve  done for several years, this is your chance to try some new ways to serve.  If you havent yet had much experience with committee work at PACC, talk with the deacons in each ministry about ways to get your feet wet by helping with some of their short-term projects.  Whether you stick your toe into projects in several ministries, so to speak, or plunge right into major work of one of the ministries, we need each of you at PACC to look for several opportunities to serve the church in ways that fit your interests, time, and talents.

To assure a reasonably balanced meal for the potluck, we request that you bring food according to the following plan:

  • If your last name begins with A-E, bring a dessert;

  • If your last name begins with F-P, bring a side dish or salad;

  • If your last name begins with R-Z, bring a main dish.

Bread and butter and beverages will be provided.

There will be child care from noon until 1:00 p.m.