First Wednesday Parish Potluck January 7, 2009
by Patti Warden, for the Deacons and the Stewardship Team
This First Wednesday potluck included members of Shirley Elder’s, Mary Jaslowski’s, and Polly Niblock’s parishes. We began our meeting at 6:35. Roger Paulsen described the concept, and assured all in attendance that there was not enough time. The Deacons welcomed their respective parish members. Roger asked the Deacons to describe what a Deacon does, and Sheila Greene volunteered examples from her personal experience receiving help from the Deacons. Laura Clawson characterized the Deacons as the eyes, ears, heart, and soul of St. Andrew. They try to stay alert to and respond to the needs of the people. Roger asked about overcoming people’s reluctance to ask for help, and Laura responded that they talk to people one on one and work behind the scenes.
The order of presentations was rearranged to accommodate circumstances.
Julie-Kae Sigars began, handing out a sheet of paper that summarized the change in the job description from “Choir Director” to “Pastoral Musician.” She said that she had always wanted to do music ministry in the way that was described, so it didn’t represent her vision as much as St. Andrew’s vision.
She told people that musicians in worship are not “performing,” but rather offering their music as a form of worship. Her words were, “We are what we are, and we offer it. We are ALL called upon to make a joyful noise, and noise is a good word.” Part of Julie Kae’s ministry is to bring people to that concept. She maintains that everyone can sing, and the important part is not whether or not it sounds pretty, but what happens to us when we sing. We breathe. Singing can give us courage. If we can sing a new song, what other new thing might we be able to do? We can help each other, and we are so much better together. With God, all things are possible. We need to think about how the music is expressing the words, and how it is speaking to us. We proclaim and preach with the music.
Julie Kae pointed out that the Book of Order tells us that the choir is supposed to help us worship. It is NOT background for other activities. Our culture works against this idea, but we need to work at our worship.
A question was raised about our recent practice of singing the Lord’s Prayer. Julie Kae responded that singing makes you pay attention to the words. The lack of familiarity will pass as we learn the song and adjust to the change.
Gary Glasscock spoke next, on behalf of the Operations Department. He shared a handout that detailed the various aspects and responsibilities of that group. He reminded all that volunteers are always welcome to help with maintenance and repair, lawn and garden care, etc.
The Finance group is part of Operations, and provides a monthly report to Session. The budget is a Session document, and reflects their priorities. Details on finances are published in our Annual Report. If anyone wants information on St. Andrew’s finances, they just need to ask.
Personnel is also part of the Operations Department. Those involved with personnel maintain job descriptions, and do reviews for the occupants of all positions.
Julie Kae Sigars said she had asked the Operations folks about a motion-sensor light for the gravel parking area, and thanked them for their timely response.
Andy Peck spoke next, as Elder At Large. He has been working primarily on two projects looking at how we are organized. One is the “Who’s on First? List,” which will tell people whom to consult for various activities or projects at St. Andrew. The other has to do with melding the idea of our current departments with the older committee structure. He is also helping with Adult Education. A question was raised about changing/updating the Who’s on First? List. Andy responded that the process is yet to be determined.
Andy also mentioned the Technology Committee, which Lainey Sickinger is chairing. Because of a recent donation, we have been able to purchase four new laptops for the Homework Club, and we have installed wireless access. We have also signed an agreement with Comcast to upgrade the speed of access. These improvements have been necessary because we don’t want kids trying to do homework on the church’s main computer. We also want a guest computer in the Adult Library. A question was raised about why kids were allowed to use the computer in the church office. In the past, that was the only available source for them to do research during Homework Club, and there had been some cleanliness and neatness issues. This was part of the impetus for purchasing the new laptops.
Laurie Rossnagel spoke next, representing the Ministry Department. Laurie had two handouts, one about the Ministry Department, and one about Adult Education.
Adult Education has been doing a variety of things, some of them “religious,” and some secular. They are open to suggestions for classes and topics. Recent offerings have included Andy Peck’s classes on frugal living. Andy will also offer a class on Christianity, and on other religions.
The Ministry Department looks inward, at us, similar to the Deacons. Lots of people help the three Ministry elders, Laurie Rossnagel, Stan Hastings, and Pattie Holt. Participation can be intermittent, or on short-term commitments of time.
The Homework Club has been VERY successful. A question was raised about how it has changed to be more successful. The adults who are participating worked with the kids to structure the time, and made contracts with them, so the kids decided what they wanted to get out of the situation. This led to different expectations from before. There is a serious attitude about doing homework, followed by some time for play. A question was raised about the need for snacks for the Homework Club. YES, snacks are still needed. For specifics, please consult Maggie McAdams.
This led to an unrelated question: has there been any attempt to restart the children’s chime choir? Follow-up will be required here.
The Mission Department was represented next. It has three component parts: traditional mission, stewardship, and outreach/membership.
Forester Woodruff spoke regarding the Outreach function. The Outreach team has created “red bags,” which contain materials about St. Andrew, and are intended to be given to first-time guests. Those materials have been recently updated. St. Andrew has joined the Renton Chamber of Commerce, and we may use some Presbytery resources to develop our outreach program.
We are updating our membership rolls, and will publish a new directory. A question was raised about listing our members on the website. Security and privacy issues argue against that. But new software from Comcast (SharePoint) may offer some possibilities.
Roger Paulsen spoke about the “traditional” mission programs, and offered a handout describing what is currently happening. Liaisons from the congregation meet with the Mission Team, and talk about opportunities within the community, and particular organizations with which they are participating. This has led to the Mission of Your Choice idea, in which part of our mission budget is distributed to various organizations that our members are working with. Roger expressed amazement at the generosity of our congregation, citing the nearly $900 given to the Christmas Joy Offering. There is so much going on at St. Andrew. We really are a force in the world.
Scott Anderson brought our discussions to a close, saying that the rearrangement of the order we had planned was a good example of how God works in the world, and here at St. Andrew. He reminded us that Christ’s birth is described in two gospels, but pointed out that His baptism is reported in six places. Scott described the difference between John’s baptism and Jesus’ baptism. John’s was a baptism of repentance, while Jesus was receiving the Holy Spirit. Part of the power is in moving past self (repentance) and out into the community. As we do that, we find that we have what we need.
A short “feedback” discussion let us know that some wanted opportunities like this to happen more often, because they felt it was a good way to find out what’s going on. Unless one is on the Session, it’s hard to know all that’s happening in the life of St. Andrew. One participant asked if these kinds of meetings will keep going. The organizing team took that as a compliment.