May 2013:

Training materials have been developed to help Elders who are performing Department Elder duties.  These materials will be added to the training materials that have already been created over the last year.

Next fall, the Elders will post information concerning the Young Disciples class on our website.  The information posted will include a syllabus for the class, a listing of teachers for each month and the tasks that the Young Disciples are expected to complete during the year.

The Men’s Group has had trouble getting started.  A discussion was held and it was decided that we may try a project orientation for the group in the hope that fellowship will develop while the group is working together on the tasks they undertake.

The small group program is ready to go and will start this fall with training for leaders.  Watch for more information on how you can join a group.

Pastoral Care training on confidentiality was presented and was very well received.  This is part of an ongoing effort to assist Elders in performing their home visit duties.

March 2013:

The Board of Elders approved a motion requesting that the Church Board authorize the hiring of an Interim Minister to assist our church until a permanent senior minister can be called.  The Elders also approved a list of six members for a committee to pursue hiring an Interim Minister and moved that those members be presented to the Church Board for approval.

Plans for assisting the clergy staff with Holy Week services were discussed and finalized.

Discussion was held concerning having Elders assist with hospital calls.  This will occur on an as needed basis as determined by the ministers.

The Elders reviewed a document that was written to assist people who lead meetings at our church.  It was suggested that the document be shared at the next Advisory Committee meeting.

The small groups program continues to develop, but with the end of the program year rapiding approaching, it was decided to hold full implementation until this fall.

February 2013:

Three people have been appointed by the Church Board to fill vacancies on the Board of Elders:  Jodi McDermitt, Tarry Moneer and Rich Hensley.

The Elders plan to invite the Deacons to Bible studies and other training opportunities in an effort to give more support to the Deacons so that they can perform their very important duties for our congregation.

The Men's group is underway and all men of the church are welcome.  For more information, contact Ron Hawkins, Tarry Moneer, Jim Prorok or Dan Mullane.

We continue to work with the Trustees to create policies and training materials for our sound system.

We hope to start the discussion group program in April.   Watch our website, the Friendly Visitor or the Sunday bulletin for details.

January 2013:

The new Elders were trained on how to serve Communion during Worship.  They have been paired with an experienced Elder and that Elder will make mentor them on their Elder duties.

We saved $150.00 on Communion kits by asking "retired" Elders to return their kits so they could be used by current Elders.

The Elders are assisting with hospital calls while Reverend Adams is on sabbatical.

The Worship duties checklist and back up personnel list has been completed and is posted in both the church office and the Sacristy.

The Elders continue to work on maximizing the use of our sound system.  A training session for those operating the system will be held at 11:45 a.m. on Sunday, January 20th.

December 2012:

The Elders had discussions on issues related to ensuring that our new Elders will be well trained and supported in their new role.  Each new Elder will be assigned an experienced mentor and will be given hands on training and printed training materials.

In an effort to save money, former Elders will be contacted to see if we can give their home communion kit to a new Elder.  This will save about $200.00

The Elders made plans to provide assistance to Reverend Werking while Reverend Adams is on sabbatical.

We hope to have a Men's group started early next year.  They will work on service projects and also have study time.

The Elders continue to work with the Trustees to improve and maximize the use of our sound system.

The Elders plan to start a small group program early next year.  This will be based on materials that will be written as a follow up to the sermons for each week.

November 2012:

The Elders have 5 people whose terms expire at the end of this year.  Names of candidates for replacement Elders have been given to the Nominations Committee.

The Elders continued their in-service training with an excellent presentation on the proper protocol for hospital visits.

The checklist for items that must be covered for each worship service has been finalized.  The Elders will be asked to volunteer to cover duties on the list should someone be absent on a given Sunday.  The final list with primary and backup personnel will be posted in the Sacistry and the church office.

The Elders have completed their work on a communication plan for the church.  The Volunteer Committee has been asked to identify a person to implement the plan.

Some of the Elders met with the Trustees to discuss ways to maximize the use of our sound system.  These people will be meeting with a sound tech to learn more about the system and will then develop training materials for system operators.

The Elders have submitted their 2013 budget request to the Finance Committee for their consideration.

October 2012:

There are four Elders who will reach term limits this year, so the Elders discussed candidates to fill those positions.  Names will be given to the Nominating Committee when the election process begins.

The Elders heard from a guest speaker about small group programs and how they can help churches strengthen the bond between members and the church.