T he Wayne Or atorio Society

A Ministry of Wayne Presbyterian Church

Beethoven

Will Todd in C John Grecia, Conductor

Mass

in Blue

Saturday, April 22

Sunday, April 23rd

7:30pm

Worship

Worship At Wayne

“Worship is at the very heart of the church’s life. All that the church is and does is rooted in its worship. The community of faith, gathered in response to God’s call, is formed in its worship.” (fromourBook of Common Worship.)

Being in our beautiful sacred space on Sundays is the one time all of us are with another, and we treasure our time together.

We have Music news! The Session has appointed Elder John Kauffman to lead a search for a permanent Director of Music. The committee is working hard on refining the job description. We thank Kirsten Santos Rutschman and her stellar team for their leadership during the interim.

Your Session members want to hear from you. Please reach out with any comments, questions, suggestions, concerns or compliments, especially on how we can make Wayne a welcoming place for all.

Elder Becky Greenhow rebeccagreenhow@gmail.com

Thank You For Easter Lily Dedications

Many thanks to everyone who participated in the annual Easter Lilies program honoring or memorializing their loved ones. This program helps create the beautiful Easter displays in the Sanctuary for all to enjoy!

Wayne Presbyterian Church

Join Us For Holy Week

Full to the Brim: An Expansive Lent

April 2

Palm Sunday 9:30am (Children’s Choir) and 11:00am

April 6

Maundy Thursday 7:00pm

April 7

Good Friday

Community Worship Service

11:45am Processional of the Cross at Wayne Presbyterian Church

12:00pm Community Worship Service at St. Katharine of Siena Catholic Church

April 9

Easter Sunday 9:30am and 11:00am

All Sunday services live streamed at 9:30am

Deacons Senior Outreach Initiative Program Summary And Results

In October 2022, the Deacons launched a project to reconnect with members over 70 who have not been attending worship. This project grew out of conversations with several members who have felt disconnected from the church as a result of Covid-19 or even before the pandemic.

Objectives

The Deacons Senior Outreach Initiative, under the leadership of Mary Bollinger, aimed to reach out to our senior members, let them know we care, and encourage them to return to in-person services if they are able. We also sought to refer urgent needs to the pastors and to inquire whether the Deacons could provide additional services, such as rides to church, regular visits, and senior activities.

The project also sought to correct invalid contact information and identify members who are no longer active. Our church pays $30 to the Philadelphia Presbytery for each member on our rolls.

Process

Each Deacon was asked to contact about eight members over 70 using a suggested script. Deacons called and wrote emails and notes to members whom they were unable to reach by telephone. They noted any telephone numbers, emails, or home addresses that were not valid and provided updates when possible. They checked the Internet for information regarding members who did not respond after multiple contact attempts.

Results

Most Deacons reported that members who answered the telephone appreciated the outreach. Many said they had been watching the live stream but hoped to return to in-person worship in the near future. Some members expressed concern about the changes in church staff.

The Deacons Senior Initiative highlighted the need for Deacons and pastors to regularly contact our senior members.

Keeping church membership records current is vital. Wayne Presbyterian office staff, assisted by Mark Fabere, will be updating records in ShelbyNext and doing further research on the “No response” members.

If you think your member records may be out of date, please visit the Member Portal at waynepres.org/member-portal/ or scan the QR code to the right and review your contact information.

Thank you for your help in making sure we stay connected!

DEACONS LOVE TO PROVIDE RIDES TO THE CHURCH!

The Deacons are updating the procedures used to provide rides to worship services and special church events. If you would like to be on the list of those requesting a ride, even if only for a short time, or if you know of anyone who could benefit from this service, please contact Bill Pentz at willpentz@gmail.com.

The Deacons are also looking for people willing to be drivers. This would mean being available to pick up someone living near you and transporting them to and from worship every month or six weeks.

If you’re interested, please contact Bill.

Session And Deacons Gather For Dinner And Annual Meeting

The members of Session and the Board of Deacons gathered on January 24 for the annual Deacon report to Session. This year, we also enjoyed a wonderful dinner and fellowship before the meeting. The energy in the Chapel reflected the joy of being together for fellowship and to discuss the important work of the Deacons. We heard story after story from Deacon leaders about all they do throughout the year as they provide “caring hands in joyful service.”

Moderator John Larkin kicked off the meeting with welcoming remarks, Craig Stock reported on the solid Deacon finances, Steve Fakharzadeh reported on the work of the Community Service team, Lee Pretz gave an update about the Congregational Services Committee, Mary Bollinger described her Care & Compassion Committee’s work reaching out to members we haven’t seen in a while, among other activities to support our members. Anne McCrary will continue in her role as Secretary, and Carolyn Lolli will become Moderator when John’s term ends. When Deacons and Elders are ordained, we promise to serve with energy, intelligence, imagination and love. Our Deacons model that every day.

If you are interested in joining a Deacon committee to become “the hands and feet of Jesus” in our community, please contact John Larkin at larkinjj6@gmail.com.

Session Update

Grace to you and Peace from the Session of WPC. We are grateful for God’s steadfast love and guidance as we conduct our work. Following is a summary of our focus during the first quarter of 2023.

1. Strategic Planning: We retained the Center for Healthy Churches (CLC) to lead several retreats and workshops to conduct strategic planning and staff development. Our CLC consultant was on site for the following events:

· Session retreat – February 4

· Staff workshop – February 24

· Session retreat – February 25

Church leaders and staff are now refining strategic planning frameworks, governance goals, organizational design, and operational tactics. We will soon organize Visioning Sessions with the congregation to present the results of our work and gather feedback and input for strategic planning.

2. Senior Pastor Search: The Nominating Committee accepted nominations through March 31 for the Pastoral Nominating Committee (PNC), and Session has assigned teams to complete the steps needed to receive COM approval to form the PNC and begin the search for a permanent senior pastor. Those steps include updating the Mission Study and evaluating pastoral staffing needs. PNC updates will be shared regularly with the congregation and posted on the WPC website under Resources.

3. Operations & Finance: We are pleased to report that our new Director of Finance and Operations, John Pitocchelli, started his new position on March 6. John is an important new leader who will manage the operating framework of the church, including finance, facilities, IT and administrative staff.

4. Music: Our Director of Music Search Committee, led by John Kauffman, has developed a comprehensive job description and initiated the search for a permanent Director of Music Ministries. We are pleased to have an extraordinary team of professionals leading our music programs during this interim period.

5. Church Census: The Census Task Force is conducting two major initiatives: Our Deacons are conducting an outreach effort to contact members we haven’t seen in a while. In addition, we are making efforts to better track visitor/member attendance. These are important efforts to improve our baseline database quality and leverage our information systems to more effectively support and engage members and visitors going forward.

For more information, please see the Monthly Session Reports posted on the WPC website under Resources. As always, please contact Clerk of Session Frone Crawford at fcrawford@fcrawfordlaw.com with any thoughts, concerns or questions.

American Red Cross Blood Drive

The next Blood Drive at WPC is scheduled for April 12 from 1:30 - 6:30 p.m. Based on its track record, the WPC Blood Drive program has been recognized by the American Red Cross as a Premier Partner.

Please consider donating blood if you are able and willing. To learn more or register to become a donor, visit redcrossblood.org and enter sponsor code: waynepres.

Wpc Career Networking Group

Facilitated meetings of the WPC Career Networking Group occur virtually in the evening of the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month to help people navigate towards new jobs and new career opportunities. All are welcome, whether one is just starting out on a career path or looking to make a change and explore new opportunities. Information on WPC Career Networking Group meetings can be found in the Events List section of the Calendar tab on the WPC website. You may also contact James Barnes at barnesj1966@gmail.com for more information.