Emmanuel Episcopal
Church
Rapid City, South
Dakota
June 29, 2014
Roundtable Discussion
2:
PARISH GROUPS
On
Sunday, June 29, 2014, an open-forum discussion was held at Emmanuel Episcopal
Church to discuss the purposes of our parish groups and envisioning general
goals for all groups collectively.
Though
extensive in content and participation which would be impossible to record in
its entirety, a very brief outline of the discussion follows:
1. What groups are there at
Emmanuel (in no particular order)?
a.
Altar
Guild
b.
Episcopal
Church Women (ECW)
c.
Vestry
d.
Daughters
of the King (Black Hills Chapter)
e.
Choir
f.
Youth
Group
g.
Outreach
h.
Book
Groups
i.
Grants
Committee
j.
Bible
Study
k.
Social
Committee
l.
Liturgical
(i.e. LEM, Greeters, Ushers, Lectors,
etc.)
m.
Pastoral
Care Committee
n.
Health/Wellness
Committee
o.
Grounds/Buildings
Caretakers
p.
Fiber
Guild (i.e. knitting, cross-stitch, etc.)
q.
Celebration
Dinner
r.
Sunday
School
s.
Library
Caretakers
t.
Prayer
Intercessors
u.
Convention
Delegates
2. What groups are inactive
or should be considered for the future?
a.
Welcome/New
Comers Committee
b.
Finance
Committee (Currently proposed by the Vestry)
c.
Centering
Prayer
d.
5
Guilds (including: St. Margaret Guild, Dorcas, et. al.)
e.
Men’s
Groups (i.e. formerly “King’s Men”)
3. What is the
focus/purpose of each group?
a.
Altar Guild – Care, preparation, and sanctity of the
worship space, vessels, etc.
b.
ECW – Provide food, dishes, hospitality (i.e. “Ministry of the
Kitchen”)
c.
Vestry – Manage temporal affairs of the church; 3 primary areas of
responsibility:
i.
Fiscal
(or ‘fiduciary’)
ii.
Physical
Plant
iii.
Leadership
in the finding, hiring and working collaboratively with a priest
d.
Daughters of the King – Prayer, service, and evangelism
e.
Choir – Lead congregation in worship musically
f.
Youth Group – Educate and engage young (Middle School, High
School and Young Adults)
g.
Outreach – Ministry outside our walls; facilitate interaction with
outside organizations/groups (i.e. Habitat for Humanity, Love INC, WAVI,
Cornerstone Rescue Mission, etc.)
h.
Book Groups – Education and spiritual growth through mutual
support
i.
Grants Committee – Recommend to Vestry endowment grants from the
John T. Vucurevich grant
j.
Bible Study – Bible study; increase spirituality
k.
Social Committee – Fun activities for congregation; fellowship
l.
Liturgical
– Worship support and participation; guide adherence to rubrics for worship in
an Episcopal context
m.
Pastoral Care – Provide for the spiritual needs of
parishioners and non-parishioners (i.e. Hospital visits, homebound visits,
Stephen Ministry, etc.)
*NOTE:
Due to time limitations, the discussion of group focus and goals was stopped at
this point. Hereafter is a summation of my own understanding of the goals of
the remaining groups:
n.
Health/Wellness Committee – Provide counsel and advice on the
integration between healthy living and spirituality.
o.
Grounds/Building Caretakers – Volunteer to maintain
the garden areas and building maintenance needs.
p.
Fiber Guild – Fellowship through a shared interest
q.
Celebration Dinner – Coordinate bi-monthly meals, volunteers,
menus, etc for fellowship
r.
Sunday School – Determine curriculum, identify volunteers,
and enthusiastically teach/introduce children to the Word of God and the life
of the Church
s.
Library Caretakers – Identify and articulate parish-wide the purpose
of the parish library and coordinate library contents accordingly
t.
Prayer Intercessors – Pray daily for lists of needs provided them
through the life of the church
u.
Convention Delegates – Represent Emmanuel at diocesan convention and
communicate diocesan needs/news to local parishioners
4. What are the goals for
groups as a whole?
a.
Evaluate
need for inclusive language in names, titles or descriptions of various groups
so as not to exclude individuals unintentionally (i.e. Episcopal Church Women
might consider an organizational name so as to welcome the presence of men). An
alternative understanding of this reality was proposed, however, acknowledging that having a
men’s group for men to fellowship and share spiritual conversation might be of
great benefit to them. Future prayer and discussion on this matter may be necessary.
b.
Representation
from each parish group to serve on the proposed Leadership Committee.
c.
Increase
collaboration and communication between groups.
d.
That
each group identify the way(s) in which they live out our common parish-wide
mission of “To Know Our Lord and To Make Him Known.”
e.
Increase
visibility by groups on the website changes proposed for 2015.
f.
Intentional
increase in membership and participation through direct and personal
invitations.
Unfortunately,
the lively discussion was cut short by time constraints. The apparent
enthusiasm and interest conveys a liveliness at Emmanuel among our congregation
and the groups represented at the meeting.
Due
to the constraints of time, the group was unable to address the topic of when
the ministries fair should be held. Traditionally it is held in September,
however, the Stewardship Drive doesn’t take place until later in the fall. It
seems that the two could potentially be tied together for a more integrated
approach to stewardship. Future discussion on this specific issue may be held
at another roundtable discussion.
The
parish groups provide opportunities for parishioners to put into action the
faith which we profess. As the Letter of St. James says, “Be doers of the word
and not hearers only” (James 1:22) and “…faith without works is dead” (James
2:26).
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