Diaconate Minutes ~ April 23, 2006
Attending: Dorene Palermo, Bill McAvoy, Bill Scott, Walt Beckwith, Morris Griffin, Bruce Capehart, Rebecca Mattern-Mielcarek, John Lockhead, Duck Rufty, Jeff Sutton, Nancy Safrit, Betty Berghaus, staff, Elena Cleary, moderator, Michael Reich, co-moderator, Jim Tatum, Sally Keener.
7:00 pm – Elena welcomed us and Betty opened the meeting with a prayer.
Concerns were shared by Elena for her sister who is recovering, but in pain after major surgery.
Approval of the March minutes was requested by Sally; they were unanimously approved.
Deacon Community Work Day: May 13:
Michael reported on the status of the workday project.
1. Andover I – Landscaping: Project Leader: Donald Rufty described projects for the morning as general clean-up, spreading pine straw, pulling out a couple of dead trees, trimming some bushes, etc. This will be the first of a long-term, on-going landscaping project at Andover I.
2. New Hope Camp and Conference Center – Landscaping and maintenance: Project Leader: Michael Reich will bring brushes for painting projects. Rebecca explained that the destruction of the old shelters will be done by the Youth the weekend after the Deacon Workday as not only community service, but also as training for work they will be doing on their coast mission trip this summer.
3.Westminster kitchen - Cleaning, organizing and labeling: Project Leader: Dana Lange. This team will also provide lunch and clean-up after lunch (with help of participants, hopefully).
Michael outlined the Help Needed:
1. Early morning light breakfast and clean-up: Dorene volunteered and Elena will help her. Michael cautioned Dorene not to overbuy as we have usually had lots of leftovers.
2. Workday Snacks - Each work group needs beverages/snacks. Duck will get supplies for Andover I team. Jim Tatum to bring snacks for New Hope Camp
3. Childcare activities – Elena will help with the children younger than 6th grade.
Michael will talk to Barb Vanden Broek to help with the toddler/infants, and secure a teen or two to help her.
4. Sign-up sheets: Michael will create the sheets with the locations, a description of the work that will be done at each site, and what to bring with you (tools, etc). Volunteers Duck, John and Dorene stepped up to cover the early and late service on Sunday, April 30 and May 7. Rebecca will talk to the Youth and Michael will email Haywood to have announcements made from the pulpit both Sundays.
Mission Focus 2006 – Implementation:
Michael shared the following document regarding the 2006 mission focus:
2006 Deacon Mission Focus
Yearly the Deacons of Westminster select a project to which time/talent and financial resources of Westminster Presbyterian Church can be directed. The focus for 2006 is the “10 Year Plan to End Homelessness in Durham”.
Despite two decades of federal funding, statewide planning, and local initiatives, the number of individuals and families who are homeless continues to rise. An estimated 842,000 adults and children in the United States are homeless in a given week, with 3.5 million adults and children experiencing homelessness over the course of a year.
What is the current homeless situation in Durham; consider the following:
1. In a point-in-time count conducted on January 26, 2005, 535 homeless people were counted in Durham. Though this number is nearly the same as the 2004 count, the number has been increasing steadily each year since 1999 when the count stood at 343.
2. Between January 1, 2004 and January 26, 2005 the Durham Public Schools Homeless Program received referrals for or identified 486 children meeting the criteria of homelessness.
3. Over 2,550 different people per year are homeless in Durham.
4. Over $5 million is spent each year to help meet the needs of those who are homeless in Durham.
While Durham’s final 10-Year Plan has not been finalized a vision, mission and guiding principals have been established.
Vision
Within 10 years, Durham will be a community without homelessness by assuring access to safe, affordable, and permanent housing with a comprehensive array of supportive services.
Mission
Durham will reorient its service system from one that manages homelessness to one that prevents and eliminates homelessness. We will work to end the cycle of homelessness in Durham through community collaboration, relocation of resources, increased access to current service, and development of new preventive strategies. We will create solutions needed to move people from homelessness to housing and self-sufficiency.
Guiding Principles
While Durham’s final 10-year plan is not expected before May 2006, the Deacons of Westminster have decided that there are ways now that they and the membership of Westminster can become involved in making a difference in Durham. Below are our recommendations to make a difference:
With Andover II there is also the opportunity for Westminster to become a “Welcoming Committee” to a resident helping that individual as outlined above.
The Deacons of Westminster remain excited that by involving ourselves and other members of the congregation with Durham’s 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness that we not only will make a difference, we will bring hope to a segment of society that is often overlooked. Additionally, as a leader in this effort among area churches, we hope to become a model for others to follow.
e End of Mission Focus document f
Assimilation Committee Update:
Sally and Rebecca reported that the committee is continuing to host the new Meet and Greet Coffees after both services, but is eager to get help with hosting. There are still a few hitches, but soon it will be up and running smoothly. Other initiatives are well in place and on-going (calling visitors, time and talent data). The committee has added another tool for assimilation – the “Did You Hear” blue cards in the pew that invite everyone to drop a note in the offering plate or to an usher, if they hear something in the announcements or sharing our mission or even the sermon that they’d like to help with or know more about. Assimilation committee will keep the pews stocked with those cards and respond to all inquiries or offers to volunteer. The next new thing will be the publication of a time and talent booklet that explains all the items on the time and talent sign-up cards. We will display these booklets on the Meet and Greet serving tables and on the name tag tables. Look for them soon.
Michael reported that the web committee is nearing the adoption of new web management service.
Congregational Care Committee Update:
Bill Scott reported that the caregivers are already serving four cases, two families with births and two with illnesses. The system is going well and Betty is very appreciative of the help from the cadre of caregivers. Green cards in the pews continue to be available to notify Betty and the team of needs in the congregation. The committee will meet again in early June.
Fellowship Committee Update:
Bill McAvoy and Walt reported the Lenten lunch went very well. The leftover soups were packaged and frozen for the Congregational Care team to use for meals. The up-coming MP2 event will be handled by MP2, but there is a Choir Concert on May 7th that Fellowship will support with a reception. Bill M. and Caroline Haynes will do this.
Pres Pt. Weekend: John Lockhead reported that the ownership of Pres. Point has been an issue, moving from Presbyterian management to the Y and now in the process of being sold to the Boy Scouts. However, John feels confident we will be able to have our camping event there, at Sailor’s Haven, Memorial Day weekend, Friday-Monday. John will start advertising it soon; Sally will put an announcement in the next newsletter’s Deacons’ Corner.
Global Missions Committee Update:
Bruce reported it is a quiet time for Global Missions. They continue to support hurricane relief programs. The committee has called all the names in the volunteer database to find how they would like to get involved in global mission projects.
Regarding the Youth Mission Trip to MS, Dorene asked how the Youth trip gets funded. The two options are the Youth Mission budget (which they hope to reserve most of for the Mexico trip next year) or the Katrina budget from Global Missions. After discussion it was suggested that the coast trip this summer be shared between Global Missions and the Youth budget. The Youth should estimate expenses of the 36-38 member team, decide what they can afford and request the shortfall from Global Missions, which Bruce said will be willingly covered. In the discussion of the youth mission trip funding, the Deacons also stressed the need for the youth to have some fund raising of their own to contribute to the costs, even if it has to be done in the summer to "post pay" some of the expense since part of the message is not to encourage a feeling of entitlement.
Local Missions Committee Update:
Jeff reported that the Evacuee Resettlement Task Force continues to attempt to meet the unfolding and increasing needs of Kendrick, his brother Sammy, his mother Lucy and his son Fuzzy, and will do so through June. The team is trying to get Kendrick and his family more connected to social services, get vocational rehabilitation to Kendrick, and find jobs for all of them. Lucy needs dental work, and Morris volunteered to see her and see what he could do for her. The task force team will give a summary report at our next Deacons’ meeting.
Betty reported on the Leslie Sheldon Task Force, which is helping the woman here at Duke for cancer treatment. Leslie, 39, lost her husband to pancreatic cancer in December, and two of her three children (13, 11, 6) are very sick. Leslie is ADHD and toggles between delightful and difficult/unreasonable. She had her tonsils out Thursday but is having lots of pain, in part, no doubt, to smoking the day after surgery in spite of doctor’s directions. Betty and the task force are finding out day by day what is needed and if or how they can help. It is challenging, exhausting work, and may even be beyond the abilities or domain of what we can offer. Kirsten Overholt has been doing an amazing job of tending to Leslie’s needs, but she and Betty need help and will seek guidance from Terry Allebaugh and Michelle Zechmann this week.
Action Item: After discussion, it was established that we need to spend time on lessons learned from both of these projects so that we will not put ourselves in a position where we cannot be helpful or put disproportionate pressures on our volunteers. It was suggested that we develop a screening process of possible recipients for our care, especially if the referral is from mental health services, so we won’t be in over our heads. Also, we might set up guidelines for care giving with lists of resources where we can turn for help in dealing with problems that unfold.
Carol, who was scurrying around settling in the IHN families, reported through Betty that IHN just received three single-mother families, and the week appears to be off to a good start. New members, Kathy and Tom Irvin, have experience with this type of ministry and want to help with IHN. Yeah!
Elena (for Chuck Byrd) reported on the Durham Congregations in Action (DCIA) project saying there is a need for money to help support their new Summer of Opportunities program that works with 40 Durham youth, ages 14-16, to teach them job and life skills, and place them in paying internships. Chuck was inquiring if WPC could designate a special offering for this project. Although that decision must come from the session, in order to decide if the diaconate wishes to make the request to the session, we will ask Chuck to meet with us in May to answer questions about the program. He also asked the deacons to consider supporting a Katrina Youth Refugee camp at Camp New Hope. We will discuss that, also, in May.
Bill Scott announced that he is on a committee chaired by Doug Elvers that is studying interim pastor candidates. At this time they are collecting names of viable candidates. If you know of someone who should be considered, email the information to Bill or Doug. Early parameters are for a pastor who has experience with a church roughly our size in membership and budget, has worked with a pastoral staff, not only been the single pastor, and preferably has experience as an interim. The hope is to secure an interim pastor by September, and this preliminary work will help us be ready to make contacts this summer when more candidates tend to be available.
Upcoming meetings:
May 21 (Note: 3rd Sunday due to Memorial Day): nominate officers for next year.
June 25: elections
July 23: budget
August 27:
Party at Elena’s home with the new Deacons.
Closing Prayer was offered by Bill Scott. The meeting adjourned at 8:45 pm.
Respectfully submitted: Sally Keener, clerk
Deacons’ Corner
Important Events Coming Up! Mark Your Calendars
May 13: Mission Work Day. Come by yourself, come with your family, or bring a friend, but join us for a morning for fellowship and elbow grease as we help with landscaping projects and maintenance/painting. Groups will go from church, after a breakfast, to Camp New Hope with Michael Reich and crew and to Andover House with Duck Rufty and crew, or stay at church to work in the kitchen cleaning and organizing with Dana Lange. Activities begin at 8:00 and conclude with lunch at the church. Nursery provided for children younger than 6th grade. Sixth grade or older? Come help!
May 26-29: The annual family camping event at Pres. Point is set for Memorial Day weekend, Friday-Monday, at Sailors' Haven. Make plans now for the whole family to attend. More details coming soon, or contact John Lockhead.
Get Mugged! Throughout May the collection boxes are dedicated to the Food Shelter. They need ceramic coffee mugs. Clean out the cupboard and help out the shelter. Everyone wins. Put your gently used ceramic mugs in the boxes in the foyer of the Mission Center all month. Thanks.
"...and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
Micah 6:8
Commit |
Lead |
Include |
