Deacons Minutes

February 21, 2013

Attendance: Don Behnke, Eddie Armendariz, Mike Bartholomew, Carrol Blevins, Nancy Cowan, Carol Goss, Bill Haynes, Irene Kouna, Marianne Maley, Dutch Matkin, Bruce Pearson, Anna Suggs, Cindy Tafoya, and Collette Walz

Excused: Bill Marlow, Donna Mathis, Jacque Parks, Harry Topley

Carrol Blevins opened the meeting with a prayer at 7:00 p.m.

ACTION ITEM FOR SESSION: None

Old Business: There has been some confusion regarding where the ushers should put the children's activity bags picked up from the pews following the Sunday service. Henceforth, the ushers are to leave these bags in the copying room in the front office.

New Business: Somewhat related to the foregoing, we also decided that after each communion service, the usher captain will no longer pick up the used communion cups. Rather, the three ushers (south, east and west doors) are to pick up the used plastic communion cups in their respective areas and dispose of them.

Moderator's Remarks:

Don clarified how we handle requests to the church for emergency assistance. The proper procedure is for Don to personally contact each person who requests our aid. He then sends an e-mail to all the deacons, with his assessment of the situation and his recommendation whether or not we should grant the assistance. Each deacon is to reply via e-mail to Don, as soon as possible, with his or her vote. Don will then make the ultimate decision, based on the group's consensus.

Don recently visited the soup kitchen and was very impressed with the entire operation. Our church serves the meal every second Wednesday. The normal hours of duty are from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., although there is flexibility if a volunteers cannot work the entire four or five hours.

He also said he would check to determine whether ushers will be needed for the Maundy Thursday service.

Committee Reports:

Building and Grounds: The work day will be on Saturday, March 9, from 8 a.m. to noon.

Christian Education: The One Great Hour of Sharing children's program, under Margie Rankin's supervision, will begin this Sunday, February 24, with follow-up at the next Salt and Light event on February 27.

Music and Worship: Marianne Maley drew our attention to the two booklets for Lenten reflection, which the ushers have been handing out. There are two different booklets, one for adults and one for families.

Missions: They are currently updating the missions booklet, placed in the pews, which informs the congregations about the various mission activities we sponsor.

Local Missions: Collette Walz reported on the mobile food pantry program. She recently saw it in action and was very favorably impressed with the program's effectiveness and with the polite, grateful behavior of the recipients. The food distribution takes place at Watkins Hall on the third Monday afternoon of every month. Don encouraged all deacons to drop in sometime and watch this program in action. Don also spoke briefly about our ministry to provide bedding to those in need.

Visitation: Carrol Blevins is planning to call a meeting in the near future of all deacons interested in visiting our shut-ins. Bruce Pearson mentioned that he had visited Bob Lory earlier that same day and that Bob is now back home again after being in El Paso for the past six months following his horrific automobile accident.

There was also some discussion of the shepherds' program. Deacons sometimes have trouble meeting their sheep who rarely if ever attend church. Marianne Maley said she had some success by writing to her sheep, telling them where and when she would be an usher and asking them to meet her there.

Eddie Armendariz noted that the usher captains sometimes find the three secure bags already locked when they try to put the offering in them. The captain does not have the key to open these bags if they are already locked. These bags are kept in the box in the deacons' room of the sanctuary. Normal procedure is for the deacon captain to take the bags out of the box and receive the offering proceeds from the ushers immediately after the offering. After putting the proceeds in one or two of the bags, as needed, the captain is then to lock the bags, put them in the deacons' box and lock the box. Lynn Ames later unlocks the box and takes the locked bags to the front office. Obviously, however, if the bags are already locked, we cannot use them to store the offering. In such cases, the captain must put the offering in an unlocked bag in the box. This does provide some degree of security, as we do lock the box, but not as much as the locked bags would. Eddie did not know why the bags are sometimes locked prematurely, but he did not believe that anyone was doing it on purpose.

We adjourned with the Mizpah Benediction at 8:00 p.m.

Respectfully submitted by Bruce Pearson