Emergency
Aid Resource (EAR)
EAR is staffed by Deacons on a rotating
basis and meets as needed on Sundays for the purpose of providing emergency aid
to those who need it. Members of the church requesting assistance, if approved
by the EAR staff, are assisted as limited by the First Presbyterian Church of
Hollywood Board of Deacons’ By-Laws.
The
Deacons’ Pantry
The Deacons’ Pantry is a year-round
ministry that provides food and services to the homeless, walk-ins and church
members. This year, we have been restructuring our pantry. Currently, we
provide 80 bags of groceries per month to the Lord’s Lighthouse. Another 20 bags
go to folks under care in our new “Emergency Food Relief” program which
includes cash cards to supplement the grocery items with necessities that we do
not stock, such as fresh vegetables and milk. These cards cost $275, bringing
the total EFR expenditures to $1,500 monthly. We provide an additional 2-3 bags
of groceries per month to local residents who come to us in need of food. We
seek to work closely with Amie Quigley and the Wednesday program.
- Food and grocery supplies are donated
to the food pantry by our congregation on designated Blue Bag Sundays organized
by the Deacons’ Congregational Care Committee.
- The Deacons’ Pantry also partners
with the Hollywood Presbyterian Preschool. Each year, preschool children bring
in donations to the food pantry. Not only is this a wonderful contribution of
food supplies, but it teaches the children the importance of caring for the
community.
- When pantry clients have special
prayer needs or find themselves in a crisis situation, the Deacons’ ministry
assistant can request that the Pastor for Diaconal and Community Ministries
come to counsel the client with their spiritual needs.
In the fall of 2009, we began working
with The Treasure Box, an independent organization which provides quality food
at a very reasonable cost to help individuals and families supplement their
food budgets.
Orders
are made on-line or through the Deacons. Treasure Boxes are delivered once a
month to our church for pick up by those who ordered them. This gives Deacons a
wonderful opportunity to interact with people from the community at large, as
well as from the church body. On average, we take about120 orders per month.
The cost is $30 per box which buys approximately $100 worth of food items.
Community
Outreach
The Community Outreach Committee’s
responsibilities include (but are not limited to) the Lord’s Lighthouse
Ministry Christmas gifts, Project Angel Tree, collection of socks
(Sock-It-To-Me Sunday) for those that use the Lord’s Lighthouse as a resource.
- In December, Community Outreach
(together with help from the Special Projects Committee) purchased 350 top
quality back packs, stuffed them with soft, warm blankets and an assortment of
“treats,” gave them as gifts to the guests at the Lord’s Lighthouse Christmas
party. Toys were also given to the Lighthouse kids for their Christmas
celebration.
- Although there is no longer a Deacon
of the Day assigned at the Lord’s Lighthouse, there are many Deacons who
faithfully and regularly serve, some every Sunday. Alongside the Lord’s
Lighthouse staff, these Deacons help serve beverages, distribute hot plates of
food, and stay to help clean up. Sunday lunch at the Lord’s Lighthouse is
always a blessing. As physical and spiritual needs are being met, the Deacons
feel that they receive more than they give.
- As has been done in the past,
Community Outreach is also looking forward to hosting a luncheon for Fire
Station #82, hopefully in the spring.
Congregational
Care
The Congregational Care Committee’s
responsibilities include (but are not limited to) the collection of goods for
the Deacons’ Pantry (Blue Bag Sunday), assisting with communion set-up on
Saturday, communion assistance and clean-up on Sundays, organizing the Deacon’s
luncheon and silent auction.
- Literally “serving the congregation,”
the Congregational Care Committee is best known for their participation in
organizing communion. The Deacons begin their involvement on the Saturday
before communion Sunday, helping to prepare the elements that will be served to
the congregation.
- On Communion Sundays, the Deacons usher and greet guests, collect the offering
and help the Elders who are serving the sacraments. Once the service is over
the Deacons clean the pews, then wash and dry all sliver used to serve
communion and return it to the closet for storage.
- As part of communion Sundays, “Deacon envelopes” are inserted into the service
bulletins to offer the members of the congregation an opportunity to
financially support the Deacons’ ministry. The congregation is very faithful in
contributing toward the Deacons’ ministry, and understands the need for
funding.
- Fund raising is critical for the Deacons to carry out their projects and goals,
so every year the Congregational Care Committee organizes the Deacons’ major
fundraiser. The Deacons’ Luncheon and Silent Auction is held every spring in
the Mears Center for the congregation, church visitors and members of the
surrounding community. This is always a very successful event.
- Activities, such as Communion and the Deacons’ Luncheon, put the Deacons in
direct contact with the congregation, which is where the Deacons, and
particularly the Congregational Care Committee, want to be.
- The Deacons are responsible for the Signer at the 9:30 a.m. service. The annual
cost for this is $3,900.00. The Signer is being replaced on the 4th Sunday of the month with a Deacon
volunteer who types the message on a lap-top computer. This saves money and
provides additional interaction between the Deacons and the recipient.
Special
Projects
The Special Projects Committee’s
responsibilities include (but are not limited to) Homewalk LA; a sing-along
movie as an outreach to families in our church; joint project(s) with D.O.O.R.;
and beautification projects at local schools. The Committee is led by Kathleen
Cooper and Patty Thompson, and members are Jesse David Corti, Jared Northrup,
Nadia Sawiris, Judith Mendez and Jim Barbour.
The Special Projects Committee was
created in the fall of 2008 out of the need and opportunity we saw for many new
projects. The demands and commitments of the other committees and projects
however, left little time and few extra hands for anything else.
VisitationIn years past, this has been a separate
committee whose responsibilities included telephonic and face-to-face
visitation to the shut-ins, disabled, sick, and elderly in the congregation and
beyond, hosting parties and events at retirement homes and providing training
to the full Board of Deacons on safe and effective ways to minister through
visitation. The goal was to see all Deacons engaged in visitation, not just
those on the committee.
- Prior to the 2009-2010 term, very few
Deacons were participating in visitation. Since this is clearly delineated in
scripture as a responsibility for all Deacons, the Visitation Committee as such
was disbanded and instead a policy of “Plan One, Attend Two” was instituted
wherein each individual Deacon Committee was responsible to plan a visitation
party, and each Deacon was asked to attend two of the four regularly scheduled
events. Outgoing Deacon Joanne Park scheduled the first party at Bethany Towers
on Sept.19. We encouraged Deacons to sign up for the event at the June Deacons’
Retreat . At the first Deacon’s meeting in August the new visitation concept
was introduced. Congregational Care hosted another party at Windsor Manor on
November 4. Special Projects hosted a gathering at the Hollywood Royale on
March 6, and Community Outreach will host for Belmont Village (a new venue) later
in the Spring. So far, the parties have been very successful and there has been
a much higher level of Deacon involvement.
- These parties provide the opportunity
to share a devotional, music, entertainment, and food made by the Deacons for
the residents. Parties are often based on a theme, such as Thanksgiving or
Valentine’s Day. It’s been a real blessing to see Deacons, some of whom had
never attended a visitation party, step up and reach out to the community in
this way.
- Shepard Ministry: In the Fall of
2009, Deacons began a new outreach to the FPCH body. This was something
suggested by Pastor Bill Hansen, which in his experience had been found to be
very effective. The purpose is to strengthen relationships and engage in an
ongoing ministry of prayer within the body at FPCH. Pastor Scott Erdman created
lists of contact information which were distributed to various Deacons who
expressed a willingness to be involved in this ministry. They were asked to
call monthly and pray with the folks on their list. In addition, certain
Deacons were asked to call one or two individuals weekly. The calls have turned
out to be a tremendous blessing for caller and recipient alike! The majority of
Deacons are now involved in this ministry and great effort will be made to see
that it continues and grow in 2010, and in the years to come.
|
