March 2016 Carillon Special Feature – Ministry @ SCC
Service & Involvement Opportunities
In the special feature article, we’ve shared all about how ministry leadership and involvement is shaping up in 2016 under our new systems. We hope you will be proactive in helping our ministry leaders link you up with service opportunities by filling out “The Gifts We Bring” and joining us for our Ministry Fair on April 3rd.
And… we can point you toward a few volunteer needs and involvement opportunities that we have now. Please do check these out… some of them may be needs you didn’t even realize we had!
Soup Kitchen Crew Leader for March 26th
Our congregation’s next date for serving at the Covenant Soup Kitchen in Willimantic is coming up on Saturday, March 26th (yes, that’s the Saturday of Easter weekend… what a great opportunity for us to share some life-sustaining hope and resurrection promise in our community). We’re looking for a crew leader for that date who will take charge of organizing our crew and work for that day. To volunteer or for more information, be in contact with Outreach Ministries Coordinator Carolyn Holmy (ceholmy@snet.net or 860-429-3856).
Wire Pullers
Within the next few months, we’ll be working on some upgrades to the computer network infrastructure in order (among other things) to expand WiFi coverage in our facilities. We’ll need to run network cabling to some additional locations in order to hook up new access points, and could use some helping hands! No technology / computer knowledge necessary, just a willingness to pull wires through crawl spaces, attics, and other spaces. To volunteer or for more information, be in contact with Building & Grounds Coordinator Duffy Brookes (thebrookes@aol.com or 860-872-4477) or with Pastor Matt (matt@storrscongchurch.org or 860-429-9382).
Easter Worship Space Preparation Helpers – March 26th
On Saturday, March 26th, we’ll be getting our worship space ready for Easter Morning and the rest of the Easter season, with staging of flowers and the hanging of fabrics, banners, and other visual enhancements. A crew leader is already being recruited, so we’re just looking for additional volunteers willing to lend an eye and a hand. To volunteer, contact Worship Coordinator Erin Scholes (erinrachel410@gmail.com or 847-507-1351).
Confirmation Mentors
We have a new cohort of confirmation students beginning their journey this month, and we’ll be matching each of our 3 youth with a mentor. The confirmand-to-mentor pairings will be made with input from the youth themselves, but knowing who around our congregation would find interest and meaning in such a relationship is always helpful (especially for those youth who are newer among us and thus don’t know as many people). All three of our confirmands for this year’s cohort are young women, so we’re particularly looking for female mentors. To express an interest, contact Pastor Nancy (nancy@storrscongchurch.org or 860-429-9382).
Communications Manager and/or Graphic Arts Volunteer(s)
With the ever-changing dynamics of church involvement and the ever-changing world of media and communications techniques, our professional and office staff end up spending a great deal of time on our internal and external communications—newsletters, website content, signage design, mass email distributions, social media posting, creation of engaging visuals, and more. If we have one or more congregants with skills and interests in these or related areas, we would love to get them involved! For more information or to express an interest, contact Pastor Matt (matt@storrscongchurch.org or 860-429-9382).
Congregant visitors / “Care Partners”
Part of our overall continuum of pastoral and congregant care here at SCC involves visitations and caring relationships with people who are ‘shut-in’ or homebound, whether on a short-term or long-term basis. At its best, this ministry involves visitation from both pastor and fellow congregant. If you’d be interested in learning more about being a care partner or care visitor, be in touch with Pastor Matt (matt@storrscongchurch.org or 860-429-9382).
Easter Breakfast Help – March 27th
On Easter morning, we have a wonderful hot breakfast feast following our Easter Sunrise Service. Interested in helping make that happen, whether as crew leader or as a helper? Be in touch with Congregational Life Coordinator Pam Roberts (drpampt@gmail.com or 860-428-2406).
Quiet Corner Refugee Resettlement
A wonderful cadre of people from a variety of local groups and religious communities are beginning to mobilize to work with Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services to support resettlement of refugee families here in Connecticut. We are now looking for you! What are your gifts? Where is your heart in this issue? We’d love to help to connect you with a meaningful and much needed ministry around supporting a family’s search for employment, housing, transportation, education, health, and more. Be in touch with Pastor Nancy (nancy@storrscongchurch.org or 860-429-9382) or Dianne Sprague (dispraguew@gmail.com or 401-447-4421).
Worship Service Volunteers
A number of volunteers help make things happen on Sunday mornings and around other worship services. We’re always looking for additional folks to join our teams of ushers (the people who help greet, hand out bulletins, take up the offering, and other assorted tasks), greeters (friendly and engaging faces to welcome people to worship), and liturgists (the congregants who help lead the worship service together with the pastor[s]). To volunteer, contact either Office Administrator Deborah Gacek (sccoffice@storrscongchurch.org or 860-429-9382) or Worship Coordinator Erin Scholes (erinrachel410@gmail.com or 847-507-1351).
Hospitality Volunteers
Other volunteers that help make things happen on Sunday mornings and around other worship services are our fellowship hour hosts and our welcome table staffers. Orientation is recommended for Welcome Table staffers. To volunteer or express interest, contact either Office Administrator Deborah Gacek (sccoffice@storrscongchurch.org or 860-429-9382) or Congregational Life Coordinator Pam Roberts (drpampt@gmail.com or 860-428-2406).
This is by no means a comprehensive list, but perhaps something here has sparked an interest! As always, keep watch of the weekly worship bulletin, the This Week @ SCC emails, and future editions of The Carillon for additional calls-to-action and opportunities-for-service. And, again, plan to be there on April 3rd for the Ministry Fair and get your “The Gifts We Bring” inventory in!
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