The Session is the governing body of the church. Members of the Session are the pastors and eighteen elders, who are members of the church, described by the Book of Order (G-6.0303) as “persons of faith, dedication, and good judgment. Their manner of life should be a demonstration of the Christian gospel, both within the church and in the world.”
Elders are nominated by the congregation and the Nominating Committee, which presents the names of potential elders at a congregational meeting in the spring. Six elders are elected each year. Elders serve a three-year term and are assigned to a particular area of service. Each elder serves on a Ministry Team, described in detail below.
The
Administration and Personnel Ministry Team (A&P MT) is responsible for planning and managing the overall administration of the church. The team oversees the church and preschool staffs. Responsibilities include acting on requests for use of church facilities by outside groups, nominating elders to serve as commissioners to the Presbytery, managing facility insurance, administering staff performance reviews and salary adjustments, planning for long term ministry with special attention to programs, facilities and staff, overseeing the general administration of the church office including the purchase or lease of supplies and equipment, maintaining the church manual, and overseeing the weekday preschool including staff.
The A&P MT Chair also serves as chair of the preschool board.
Congregational Life Ministry Team: What we do (and you can too!)
e plan and direct activities for the congregation to promote communication and community, to make the church family a close-knit one. We should be seeing each other outside of the sanctuary and sharing more than a handshake.
Innings: We oversee athletic programs such as the church softball team and golf outings, including the appointment of team managers. Like to get moving?
… and Outings: We arrange facilities for outings such as church picnics: lifeguards, publicity, food, equipment, transportation, games. If you have experience at children’s parties, this is up your alley.
Scouting: Oversight of the church scouting program, including approval of scout leaders.
Driving: We coordinate and schedule the use of church vehicles and their drivers. This includes transporting residents of Westminster Village to Sunday services.
Meeting (and dining): We manage ministries such as Wonderful Wednesdays (an evening of food and education), congregational lunches, Courtyard Conversations, retreats, etc. This includes recommending dieticians and caterers when desired. Do you like food?
Media: Oversight of the Bannerline, the church newsletter.
And not least: We are always on the lookout for new opportunities to promote closeness in the congregation. If you look at this list and think why don’t they try this?, then CL is for you.
EVANGELISM MINISTRY TEAM’S LIST OF RESPONSIBILITIES
VISITATION
We collect the attendance registers from both services each Sunday morning and record first time visitors. If they leave us an address or phone number we contact them that afternoon and take them a loaf of bread and also give them a booklet explaining the ministries of our church.
MANAGEMENT OF EVANGELISM
We are developing ways of sharing our Christian love with communities our church serves. We sponsor a “Boo-Hoo” breakfast for parents enrolling their children in our church’s pre-school program. It is held on both days of registration.
We have sponsored a Shrimp Boil in June and also a Barbecue Dinner in August in 2007.
NAME TAGS
We provide name tags to all members and frequent visitors to our Sunday worship services. We maintain these on display and keep them in alphabetical order for those wishing to leave their name tag at church.
ADVERTISE
We have a listing for Spanish Fort Presbyterian Church with the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce and another yearly ad with the Mobile Press Register with our listing included in the Saturday Religious Section of the paper. We also take pictures of events happening at our church and have them available for the Mobile Press and Daphne/Spanish Fort Bulletin to publish as space permits.
OPPORTUNITY OF EVANGELISM EDUCATION
A sixteen week course entitled Caring Evangelism was offered on Wednesday nights following our weekly friendship dinners. We want to offer this course again. This will be a course we hope to offer on a regular rotating basis so that we can have participation of more and more of our congregation.
MANAGEMENT OF MINISTRIES OF EVANGELISM
Our team sponsored a program with Natural Church Development which will help rate Spanish Fort Presbyterian Churches’ current health. A survey from thirty randomly selected members of our church will be a guide to determine this. From the results of this survey, our strengths and weaknesses will be shown and then we will develop a means in which to improve our weakest points by using our strongest characteristics. A second survey at the end of the year’s study has just been completed and rated. Our team was very encouraged at finding scores from six out of the eight characteristics surveyed has risen. And, extremely happy that our Minimum Factor which was Loving Relationships gained a positive fourteen points.
Through the Presbytery of South Alabama our ministry team is also sponsoring a 3 year program entitled Acts 16:5 Initiative which is a program designed by Stan Ott, a Presbyterian minister who wrote this program to help congregations grow in spiritual vitality and ministry in our communities and world.
BECOMING AND BELONGING
We wish to extend a very warm welcome to visitors and aid in helping them locate areas in our church building, such as the nursery, restrooms, fellowship hall and Sunday School rooms. We are currently working on ideas of forming a Welcome Center in the Narthex that will be a central spot for Helpful Information about Spanish Fort Presbyterian Church. We have also discussed the need of having directions, signage on doors and corridors, and a floor plan of our building visible to guest. We encouraged this signage to be done and also to have listings of the times of services listed in view of the public traveling Hwy 31.
We are always seeking new members on our team. So, if you are interested in becoming a member with us all you have to do is come to the meeting which is held the 3rd Sunday evening in the Chapel at 6:00 p.m.
The MEMBERSHIP MINISTRY TEAM accompanies every member of the congregation with caring and prayer.
Inquirers: Provide informative materials as requested by pastor.
First Time Visitors: Bake bread and produce information packets.
New Members: Organize caring reception and integration of new members.
Pictorial Directory: Take photos and collect information to keep abreast of changes.
Prayer Chain: Organize and implement night and day prayer chain.
College Students: Stay in touch with our college students.
Shepherding Program: Volunteer Shepherds each connect with a little flock within the congregation.
Special Care Ministry: Visits, cards and little gifts for shut-in members.
Stephen Ministry: One-on-one care by extensively trained and committed Stephen Ministers.
Bereavement Ministry: Accompany members through grief and loss.
Church Roll Review: Update church roll yearly.
We welcome new members. Teams meet every 3
rd Sunday at 6pm in the North Wing. We update each other on our many ministries and pray for individual members by name, using the Sunday bulletin and our bereavement prayer list.
SFPC Mission Ministry Team sponsors a multitude of projects such as
PCUSA Benevolences - Presbytery of S. Alabama
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World Missions
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Frances Landers Haiti Education Fund
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Outreach Fndn.-Russia Narnia Center for Christian Publications
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Presbytery--Mexico - Mayab Partnership
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Dr. Sue Makin--Medical Benev. Foundation - Malawi
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Living Waters of the World (To Presbytery LWW fund)
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Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship - Don Marsden
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Thailand Ministry of Steve and Marie Lindemeyer
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Member Seminary Education Fund
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Theological Education Fund
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Home Missions--Total $16,000
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Care House
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Eastern Shore Afford. Houses
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Ecumenical Ministries:
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General
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Meals on Wheels
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Light House
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Presb. Children's Home
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Presbytery of So. AL:
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Hispanic Ministries
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The Shoulder
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Habitat for Humanity - Baldwin Presbyterian Build
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Heart to Heart
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Other Home Missions
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Youth Missions - Including Cardboard City for IHN
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Mission Conference - SFPC Fall Mission Emphasis
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Special Benevolences
Family Promise - Interfaith Hospitality Network
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Home Missions take up about 60% of the budget and World Missions about 40%, totaling around $70,000.
The Stewardship & Finance Ministry Team maintains a year round program to encourage faithful Christian stewardship among the membership and manages all the church’s financial resources.
Some of the primary responsibilities of this ministry team are:
1. Educate and encourage the congregation on the meaning of Christian stewardship and encourage the membership to be responsible stewards of their time, talents and treasures.
2. Establish the annual budget for the church and plan an annual Stewardship Campaign to receive pledges.
3. Secure persons on a weekly basis to count record and deposit all church funds.
4. Review monthly financial statements for the church, along with each of the Ministry Teams, and notify the Session of any unexpected or unusual expenses or concerns.
5. Maintain a Time & Talent Data Base for the membership and share this information with the other Ministry Teams. This helps encourage our membership to use and share their time, talents and experience.
6. Since 2002, we have established, and regularly monitor, our Capital Campaign for the financing of the new Youth Wing and Choir Room additions.
7. We are currently working on the establishment of an Endowment Fund for our church.
The Worship Team
The worship team has the following responsibilities:
Coordinates Elder of the Day
Coordinate Communion Teams
Prepare Bread and Wine for Communion
Banner Placement
Pew Supplies – cards, pencils, etc.
Coordinate Acolyte Training and Events
Secure ushers and Greeters for Services
Provide Worship Bulletins and Special Holiday Bulletins
Bulletin Inserts (Advent, Epiphany, Lent, Pentecost)
Wedding Guild Coordinating
Flower Guild
Spiritual Renewal Weekend
Employ and Oversee Music Personnel and Choirs
Secure Elders to Serve in Special Services (Baptisms, Funerals)
The Worship Committee is responsible for all the details of our corporate worship and all special events that occur in the sanctuary itself.