Deacons are involved in fifteen different
types of ministries, which include:
Lay Hospital Chaplains
Members of the church who are trained and gifted in the area of pastoral care make daily visits to members of the church who are hospitalized. They report the needs and circumstances of the member patients to the pastoral staff and follow up with them after they go home.
Homebound Visitation
A group of trained members of the church visit more than fifty of our homebound friends twice a month. They deliver flowers, small gifts, goodies, inspirational materials and church information. They take communion to our friends at home, four times a year.
The Baby Ministry
A small group of deacons make contact with new parents in the church after they have a baby. They visit with the new parents on the phone, deliver a basket of small gifts, and provide the family with information on baptism, the nursery and children’s programs. They also bring food to the family and welcome the new baby into the life of the congregation.
Care Packages
An exciting new “Care Packages Ministry” has begun this year. The goal of the ministry is to shower our college freshmen and veterans with periodic care packages. The freshmen received their first surprise packages during their final exams in 2007. The team sent our veterans a care package at Thanksgiving. Inside the packages are food, fun, inspirational gifts and a message from the pastors. It is our goal to keep supporting and caring for our young people and service men and women and to attract them back to Valley Church when they return to the city.
Staff Appreciation
The Staff Appreciation Ministry blesses the staff with birthday cards, flowers and fun tokens of appreciation at random times throughout the year.
Greeters
This team recruits friendly individuals who are willing to greet members of the church as they come into the 9 a.m. worship service. They also serve coffee/punch after worship on the patio outside the main sanctuary.
Flower Distribution
A group of very creative and compassionate people take the flowers that are beautifully displayed on Sunday Morning in the sanctuary, and redesign them into dozens of flower arrangements that are then taken to the sick and homebound later in the week.
Flower Donation
This team of deacons encourages members of the church to donate flowers for the weekly worship services. From one time donations to annual contributions, this team also maintains an online database to aid Valley in this ministry.
Memorial Receptions
This ministry team works with Chef Len to provide cookies, tea, and coffee for memorial receptions. Coordinators and volunteers are needed for each month.
Transportation
For those who are unable to drive themselves to church, this deacon team provide rides to various worship services. Each week, drivers contact potential riders to see if they are in need of transportation. Most often, drivers use their own vehicles to transport their guests. Wonderful relationships develop as driver and rider share the events of their week.
Telephone Hospitality
The deacons on the telephone hospitality team are responsible for recruiting volunteers from the congregation to man the switch board at the main reception desk between 9 am and 12 pm on Sunday morning. They train the volunteers to use the church phone and provide them with information that might be helpful when people approach with questions.
Food Distribution
Once a month, this group of Deacons meets at Osborn Hospital to pick up meals prepared by the hospital cafeteria. They distribution these meals to people released from the hospital who are ineligible for meals on wheels.
Food Ministry
This team recruits cooks in the congregation to fix dinners for those who have just gotten out of the hospital. They also coordinate the distribution of the dinners so that the family or individual isn’t overwhelmed with meals.
Communion Preparation
The Deacon Communion team is responsible for preparing the elements for each communion service provided by the Church. We are looking for volunteers who would like to help for any of the scheduled services. (Haven’t you always wondered how the juice gets in those little glasses – this is your chance to find out!)
Deacon Fund
For the first time this year, the deacons are looking toward everyone at Valley to consider not only prayer and encouragement but also monetary support for their ministries. In the Book of Church Order, the duty of deacons is described. They are “to minister to those who are in need, to the sick, to the friendless, and to any who may be in distress.” The Session has approved the Board of Deacons to solicit from the congregation an annual offering. This offering will be used to support the existing deacon ministry efforts and to also attempt to minister to those needing financial assistance. The nature of financial assistance will follow very careful rules, which the pastors and deacons are to follow. This assistance may not solve a problem completely but it is thought that gracious gifting to those in need will go a long way to exemplify a spirit of Christ like generosity within our community at Valley. For inquiries please call the church office at 480-991-6424.
