Christians are called to care for one another following the example of Jesus Christ. This pastoral care is the heartbeat of every church.Eighteen Deacons fulfill this ministry - striving to provide compassion, sympathy and care-giving to members and friends of the church who are in need.

Deacon priorities are to:

• Support the pastor with crisis situations;
• Organize and staff funeral/memorial receptions when requested; and,
• Provide a pastoral care connection for the homebound.

The Board of Deacons currently has two programmatic commitments:

• Bags of groceries are collected monthly from church members to benefit the community program called Bienvenidos.
• Sponsorship of a Prayer Shawl Ministry that presents hand made shawls to people experiencing difficulties in their lives.

The Board of Deacons has established six goals:

1. We are exploring ways in which we can be more helpful to the homeless that come to the church looking for help. We are working with the Mission committee and the office to update a booklet of Community Resources and exploring other ways of offering assistance.

2. Hearth to Hearth - We are beginning to recruit volunteers who would be willing to prepare a light meal for church members experiencing a temporary crisis. For information please call Annabella Flores at 577-0705 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

3. We are designing a system to follow up with grieving members for at least one year after the loss of a close family member.

4. You Call - We Haul - We are reinstating an old program to offer help to members with moving a piece of furniture, taking something to the dump, etc. Please call John Whitcomb at 982-3921 if you can help with this effort or if you have questions.

5. We will explore a way in which members would be encouraged to invite a person who is often alone on the holidays to their home for dinner, particularly for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

6. Blood Pressure Check Sunday - Sheila Gumerman is coordinating an effort that will allow members to get their blood pressure checked on the 4th Sunday of each month in the library.

The congregation elects Six Deacons annually. They serve staggered three-year terms, and operate under the authority of Session.