Epworth Ministry Fair - Ministries At-a-Glance

Beloved Epworth,

What an amazing Ministry Fair we had last week! Over 20 different ministries, groups and programs were represented and had the opportunity to share about what they do, its role in our broader ministry as Epworth, and invite others to join. And you did! I loved walking around to the different stations and seeing new names trying out a new community or avenue of service. If you missed the Ministry Fair, you can still get a sense of some of the ministries at Epworth by taking a look below, or reach out to me and let me know your ideas or where you are feeling the movement of the Holy Spirit.

Be well and blessings,

Pastor Kristin

Epworth's Ministries at-a-glance

Epworth's church council recently approved the reorganizing of existing church ministries into three domains in keeping with the UMC Book of Discipline (Nurture, Outreach, and Witness) as highlighted below, as well as having a volunteer leader or co-leaders facilitate communication, coordination, and collaboration among the domains and with the church council.

Nurture: Feeding the Soul

Give attention to education, worship, Christian formation, membership care, and stewardship.

• Stephen ministers

• Parish chaplain

• Care coordinator

• All church retreat

• Congregational forums

• Stewardship

• Prayer chain

• Committees related to worship (worship team, altar guild, ushers, etc.)

Outreach: Ministering with those who suffer

Give attention to local and larger community ministries of compassion, justice, and advocacy.

• Racial justice action team

• Sanctuary action team

• Nicaragua Project

• Reconciling ministry

• Climate change

• Shelter dinners

• Alameda County food bank

• Sierra service project

• Prayer shawls

• Summer camps

• A+ ministries

• Family Resources Center/BHS

Witness: Sharing our Faith

Give attention to developing and strengthening evangelistic efforts of sharing personal and congregational stories of Christian experience, faith, and service; communications; Lay Servant Ministries; and other means of giving witness for Jesus Christ.

• Welcome and outreach

• Community concerts

• Solano stroll

• Support for local schools

• Coffee hour coordinator

Foundational to this new structure, Epworth's Age-Related councils (Chilren's council, Youth Council, Older Adult Counctil) represent life-stage groups across the Nurture, Outreach, and Witness domains. Epworth's standing administrative committes (Finance, Pastor/Staff Parish Relations, Trustees, Nominations) provide financial, personnel, and physical plant resource to carry out ministries. The purpose of the Church Council is to envision, plan, implement, and annually evaluate the mission and ministry of the church and ensure effective leadership of church programs and administration.