Our Church Commitees

One way a church congregation fulfills its mission is to organize itself to carry out the mission. As a Presbyterian Church, the Session is the ruling body at the local level. Session has elected members who are ordained as ruling elders. Session is convened by the Minister, the teaching elder, and its duties and terms are set out by the Presbyterian Church in Canada’s Book of Forms. The Session has oversight of everything that happens in the church, except for the budget, which is voted on at an annual meeting of the congregation.

The Board of Managers is another important committee, and it is a committee of the congregation. New members are elected each year at the annual meeting. The Board’s primary duties are the maintenance of the church building and the surrounding property; and the administration of the congregational budget. The Board’s duties are elucidated in the Book of Forms.

The Session selects convenors of various committees that do its work on behalf of the congregation. Committees are expected to meet regularly, keep written minutes, make regular reports and recommendations to session, and file final copies of minutes (and relevant material) at the church (to be archived after a time). All committees work cooperatively with other committees. All announce opportunities for participation in their activities in the newsletter and the Sunday bulletin. All take budget proposals to Session for review (in October) and these are reviewed subsequently by the Board of Managers for inclusion in the annual budget. Annually, all committees prepare written summaries of their work. The congregation reviews the annual budget and committees’ reports at the annual meeting.

The Nurture Committee

The Nurture Committee develops and sustains members in the formation and expression of their faith and spirituality through Christian worship and education.

Worship:

Support worship leaders (Minister and organists), helping to plan special Worship Services (Lent, Easter, Christmas, etc.)
Help the congregation develop a greater awareness of the place of worship in Christian life
Be responsible for sanctuary aesthetics and arrange for decorations at special seasons or times
Find, train and schedule lay readers and ushers
Find and train greeters to ensure that all attendees are greeted before the service, and if need be, introduced to others, and are helped with their integration into the life of the congregation
Participate in studies of various aspects of worship, such as the sacraments, to explore and recommend proposed changes in worship that may benefit the congregation

Music

Oversee the music ministry of the congregation
Provide consultation to the Personnel Committee on the job descriptions, salaries, and annual review of the organist positions
In consultation with the organists prepare job descriptions and review the positions of Section Leads and Organ Scholar
Oversee care and maintenance of the church’s musical instruments and sound enhancement equipment
Oversee copyright policies and the music library on the website

History (subcommittee)

Preserve First Presbyterian Church’s archive collection

Preserve current records that document the history of First Presbyterian Church, and to this end liaise with all church committees to ensure their historical records are collected and preserved
Provides guidance within the Church on the interpretation of the historical and archival holdings of the Church
Educates Church youth, the congregation and the community at large, about the importance of the accomplishments and contributions of the Church to society and history
Provides an annual report that includes a) new items added, b) summary of the inventory, and 3) total volunteer hours for the year
Produces a column (e.g., “Echoes of the Past”) for
May be called upon to present history sessions at events, such as annual general meetings of the congregation, annual history week, or other meetings sponsored by church committees
May be called upon to prepare one-line historical facts to be available for the media which are the responsibility of the Communications Committee

Halls (subcommittee)

Sets fees for funerals, wedding, and rental of building.
Negotiates rental contracts for ongoing rentals.

Christian Education Committee

The Christian Education Committee:

Oversee Christian education (CE) programs (church school, youth and young adult ministry, adult Bible study and education, and confirmation or new member classes, and adherence to “Leading with Care”, the national policy for the protection of vulnerable persons)
Find, train, and select persons for the positions required, and review their performance (e.g., Sunday school superintendent(s), teachers, youth leaders, nursery coordinator, and Christian education director)
Provide nursery care or a nursery program
Oversee the congregational library
Coordinate with the Minister for children and youth participation in worship on special occasions.

The Care Committee

The Care Committee encourages members to show Christian love and concern toward members of the congregation and encourages them to reach out to the community and to the world.

Pastoral Care

Convenes a team of visitors to ensure members of the church who need more frequent visits receive them (i.e. those in hospitals and care facilities and those with limited mobility and are not able to come to church)
Assist the Minister with home communions
Assist elders, as required and requested, in the provision of pastoral care
Maintain a list of members who could benefit from a ride to church and a list of those who could provide rides
Assist with crisis support (i.e. driving, meals, visiting)
Send get-well and sympathy cards
Seek out and sponsor activities that provide pastoral care or provide education about pastoral care (i.e., workshops on parenting, care of the dying, stress reduction, marriage, etc.)

Mission

Liaise with and support the work of the Women’s Missionary Society, the Ladies’ Aid, and Presbyterian World Service and Development (PWS&D)
Increase congregational awareness of mission possibilities at home and abroad
Encourage and support opportunities for mission work , both short and long term
Ensure the Food Bank has a coordinator and provide support for it
Select a task force, when needed, to review refugee applications, make recommendations, and coordinate refugee arrival and settlement
Select and promote local and global mission projects (helping the congregation set reasonable and achievable goals and determine whether the support should be substantial or modest)
In consultation with the Minister, develop or review relevant policies (for the benevolent fund and for individuals looking for handouts)
Increase congregational awareness of programs of the Presbyterian Church in Canada and how to participate in the programs

Fellowship

Arrange fellowship events each year (i.e., suppers, lunches, new members’ gatherings, elder district gatherings, annual picnic, activity and/or games nights, etc.)
Find a coordinator for the annual Burns activities

Refugee (subcommittee)

Takes request to sponsor refugees and prioritizes them and chooses which families to suggest to Session to sponsor.
Makes an appropriate plan including finances
Does the appropriate paperwork for applications

The Personnel Committee

The Personnel Committee works with the convenors of all church committees to facilitate personnel management and assists personnel and supervisors to achieve predetermined goals and objectives that are consistent with the mission and vision of the Session and the congregation. The committee will:

Deal with all human resource-related issues, ensuring equitable and fair treatment of personnel (this includes hiring or contracting of church personnel, terms of employment, job descriptions, grievances, reviews, raises, conflict management, and termination)
Facilitate regular staff meetings
Work with supervisors to clarify the roles of personnel and set their goals
Develop and implement a comprehensive system of conflict resolution
Ensure employment contracts are dated within the fiscal year and meet budget guidelines
Facilitate annual performance reviews and ensure all personnel have annual reviews of their job descriptions (comparing work performed with the work described)
Coordinate an annual review of the compensation package, conferring with the Board of Managers on the impact of changes.

Policy and Planning Committee

The Policy and Planning Committee, working collaboratively, will encourage and support other committees in fulfilling their mandates, achieving their goals, and celebrating their successes. Responsibilities include:

Develop and maintain a policy manual for the church.
Collect information about operations, flexibility, and better planning accuracy, as well as to ascertain whether congregational needs are met.
Work with Session, Committees, and the Board of Managers to set plans and goals, as requested.
Review and update policy on logos, letterhead and identifiers for First Church as needed.
Review and update, when needed, standing regulations and policies on receiving gifts, memorials and endowments; and set policy on recognition of such as needed.

Communications

Responsible for:

Newsletter- FWTN (3-4X per annum)
Website updates, upkeep and maintenance
Community Publicity – creation of mailers/business-type cards, store posters, community newsletters, radio, and television advertisements.
Creation and production, as needed, of the workings of FPC packages (e.g., trifolds)
Messages such as event communications on outdoor signage, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Bulletin boards, both fixed and mobile, for events and happenings at FPC and in the community.
Congregational Pictorial Directory- every 5 Years
Maintenance, update and upkeep of the Church’s membership directory

Stewardship Committee

The stewardship committee coordinates the management of funds for the following existing funds: The Mary Giesbrecht Music Fund, The Olive Moore Education Fund, The Canada Youth Conference Fund, The Memorial Fund, The Lloyd Fourney Refugee Fund, and the Community Dinner Fund. The Stewardship Committee will receive requests for expenditure for funds and make recommendations to the Session; suggest ways of raising money for the above-mentioned funds and for the “Capital Fund”; and educate and promote stewardship.

Composition of the Stewardship Committee:

Treasurer
Two Session representatives
Two Board representatives
Three Congregational representatives and
The Minister as ex-officio