Dear Grace Friends and Family,
Many of you have been asking how things get done at Grace….who decides when we have classes…who picks the subjects…who sets worship times….who decides on the mission projects….who decides when we have a fellowship event...etc. These are all very good questions!
The Presbyterian Church is governed by the lay people….what is typically called the “people in the pew,” except we don’t have pews!!!! Our name literally means “by the elders.”
We have a group of elders elected by the congregation to lead us in ministry. Our elders are then divided among various ministry teams, so that each elder has a specific focus. The elder chairs those teams and invites others to join them on the team to dream and make plans about ways to be the church here in this place. Everything we do here at Grace, happens because someone saw a need, made a plan, and carried out some type of ministry.
For this to happen we need YOU! We need YOU to join us on our ministry teams to share your dreams….your ideas…your creativity…your experience…you love.
We begin a new year for our ministry teams. Every year is a new year with new teams. So even if you have never served before, you can begin NOW! And know that we LOVE new life on all teams. As it has been said, “the seven last words of the church are ‘we have always done it this way’…or ‘we’ve never done it that way before.’ We need new and creative ideas.
All teams will be meeting on the 4th Thursday of every ODD numbered month.
Connecting Conference:
Stewardship Team-This team coordinates the ways our congregation encourages and makes use of the gifts of Grace…the time, talents and treasures of our members.
Fellowship Team-This team provides intentional activities to encourage relationships between Grace members. This includes church family meals, outings, fellowship events at Grace or away from Grace.
Board of Deacons-are elected by the congregation and charged with care of the congregation. Each deacon has a specific parish. This is not a group open to new members, since all are elected yearly.
Serve Conference:
Mission Team: This team coordinates the various ways our congregation reaches outside the walls of Grace. Some of our activities include our participation in the Angel House homeless ministry, Trinity Care Nursing Home ministry with older adults, Round Rock Area Serving Center-ministry with those in need in the RR area, Faith in Action Caregivers-ministry with those who have physical challenges, helping them to stay independent in their own homes, Cancer Connection-ministry to those battling cancer, and many others.
Staff Support Team: This team coordinates the ways our congregation supports our staff: Pastor, Director of Youth and Children, Music Director, Administrative Assistants and Nursery Staff. This involves everything from praying for oru staff, providing them with special treats, and helping coordinate volunteers to lighten their load.
Inviting Conference:
Building Team: This team is responsible for helping us to make our building inviting and user friendly in such a way that people feel it is home. They take care of all repairs, new construction, and maintenance. This includes painting, light carpentry, etc.
Grounds Teams: This team is responsible for helping us to create an environment outside that is inviting. This includes keeping the grounds manicured, taking care of all gardens, putting up and maintaining all outdoor signs.
Inviting, Welcoming, and Involving Team-This team enables our congregation to invite folks into our church family, welcome them when they come, and involve them in the life of the congregation. This includes planning events to bring folks to our campus, participating in city wide events, giving special gifts to first time visitors, designing our web site, and involving people in the life of the congregation.
Worship Conference:
If you are interested in serving on worship please see Celeste Yeakley or Steve Brown.
Worship Planning Team – everything it takes to plan a worship service: Media Team, Sound
Music Team-Kirk Hutcherson, Lay Leaders- (Communion, Ushers, Visual Arts), Special services
Grow Conference:
Adult Discipleship: Teacher appreciation, Sunday School, Small groups-Lou Ann Moore, Library, Emmaus, Special events, Publicity, Prayer ministry
Young Adult Ministry: Small group, Fellowship, Publicity
Youth Ministry: Mission activities, Teacher appreciation, Sunday School, Youth Fellowship, Small Groups, Revolve, Fund raising, Youth Worship, Publicity, Confirmation Classes, Larger church opportunities, Youth Praise team-Rachel Keagy
Children’s Ministry: VBS, Christmas Pageant, Children’s Worship, Mission activities, Teacher appreciation, Sunday School, Special events, Fellowship, Publicity
