Deacons

What do Deacons do?

While it is hard to believe, we are approaching the final quarter of yet another year. The current group of thirty-one Deacons has served the church well. But just exactly what do Deacons do? Here is a very brief summary of Deacon duties. Each Deacon is assigned a parish and acts as a liaison between parishioners and the Church answering questions when asked, communicating parishioners’ concerns to the Church and just keeping in touch with parishioners. The Deacons meet as a group generally on the fourth Thursday evening of each month except in the summer.

There are about a dozen Deacon committees which perform routine services, some in plain view and some in the background. Each Deacon serves on an average of two Deacon committees. These committees do work such as preparing communion trays, helping to serve communion, collecting friendship pads, conducting church tours, taking altar flowers to hospitalized parishioners and those parishioners over 85 on their birthdays, securing greeters for each service, helping ushers as needed, administering a Deacons Fund for three selected local charities, arranging transportation and other services for parishioners who need temporary help with day-today needs, conducting three blood drives each year, offering receptions for memorial services and several other services such as Deacons’ Sunday and assisting with the Blue Christmas service each year. Being a Deacon is a very personal commitment which is performed in as many different ways as there are Deacons. A Deacon’s relationship with parishioners is highly individualized and can be by phone, by email or mail. Meeting with parishioners in person is not required but may occur in special circumstances at the Deacon’s discretion. Because being a Deacon is a volunteer activity, a Deacon can spend as much time as she/he thinks appropriate on the duties of being a Deacon. This is a great time of year to restate what a Deacon does because the Church’s Nominating Committee is beginning its search for a new group of members to become Deacons to start in January 2023. Deacons serve three-year terms and may not serve more than two consecutive terms. If you are a person who believes in living Jesus’ commandment to love one another as He loves us, then being a Deacon will provide you with another opportunity to do just that. To learn more about becoming a Deacon, or to express an interest in sharing our mission of JOY, please contact David Witman at 239.285.4661 or dpwitman@hotmail.com. I assure you that this exercise of your faith will enhance your life. Please pray on whether or not you will become a part of this amazing group.

Sunday, September 11 Following the worship service join us in Spencer Hall for some refreshments and to meet your deacon and other members in your parish.