The Diaconate
Wallace T. Milling
Twenty-three deacons had the privilege of serving the Lord ' s congregation at I. P. C. and the local community in 2016.
Deacons serve the church through the following standing and ad hoc committees each led by a chairman and vice chairman.
The Worship Assistance Committee- The entire Diaconate including men from the congregation, with Session approval, supported this crucial committee through ushering and security services during the weekly worship services. Will Black and Jody Robinson generously volunteered to establish the ushering schedule for 2016. Chairman, David Wade, maintained and executed it for the fifty-two Sunday services, which require twelve men for each morning service and four men for each evening service, along with offering collection and counting. Four additional men are required on communion Sundays for setup / cleanup of the communion elements, and all available ushers / deacons put away tables and benches after AM services. In addition, deacons support ushering needs for all the special services such as Missions Conference, Communion Season, Lessons and Carols, and funerals. All married deacons serve in children ' s church at least once during the year.
The challenges posed by renovation work on the Lane, the Fellowship Hall, Mary Telfair Chapel and courtyard garden were met with great flexibility and attentiveness by this committee.
The Mercy Committee, chaired by Neal Cope, ministered resources to those in need, both in the congregation and the local community. Through Neal’ s leadership, this vital committee expressed God ' s love and care for His people during trying circumstances such as Hurricane Matthew. One mercy project was the provision of transportation for a member in need, and another was a much-needed home repair project for a local non-member shut-in.
The Hospitality Committee, chaired by Patrick Kenard, encourages the officers and congregation to warmly welcome visitors, follow up with them, and encourage visitors to become members. The committee also organizes meal cleanup for some of the large annual events: Point Pleasant BBQ, Low Country Boil, and the Lessons and Carols Service.
The Stewardship Committee was chaired by Seth Murray, who also served on the Finance & Administration Committee. This committee works to encourage material giving within the congregation, and to lead members in wise and generous stewardship of their time and talents.
The Maintenance Committee was chaired by Clay Nolen, and supported by many of the deacons, in particular Clark Gibson, Kevin Heritage, William Van Puffelen, Sr. and William Van Puffelen, Jr, and Clark Rookstool. Maintaining the historic buildings of I. P. C.' s downtown campus along with the Point Pleasant property on Talahi Island is a continuous effort, where wood, masonry, and steel structures in the southern coastal environment require constant attention and significant resources. Painting, tree removal, debris clean up, grounds maintenance, roof repair, air-conditioning maintenance, cleaning, etc., are neverending tasks. The Diaconate supports the Director of Administration and sexton, Josh Corbitt, with contractor selection, obtaining bids, scheduling, oversight, and, in some cases, performance of the tasks. Continual updates to the reserve study by this group provides the ability track and avoids unexpected maintenance costs related to maintaining the vast facilities with which our congregation has been granted.
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