The church has a number of long-term “standing committees.” In accordance with the Constitution:
Standing committees shall be established to undertake the work of the Church in specific areas. These committees shall report to the Council, and will be directly responsible to the Council for their process and results. Generally they shall not be authorized to make decisions on behalf of the Council, except in specific circumstances that shall be included in their Charter, which shall be established by the Council and amended from time to time as circumstances require. Their primary purpose is to identify issues that need attention, make recommendations to the Council, and carry out the decisions of the Council in their particular area. (Article VII.i.)
Following are the standing committees of the church:
Adult Programs
This committee works with the Pastor and the Sound Spirit Initiative to plan and promote various adult education and enrichment opportunities for congregants and the public. It collects input from the congregation on desired programs and opportunities and generates plans for implementing them. The Council liaison reports progress on committee work, and makes sure Council is aware of pending presentations or program initiation. Any recommendations for programs that require church funding other than routine Sound Spirit programs will require Council approval.
Children and Youth Programs
This committee strives to develop opportunities for children and youth to join in the life of the church. Recommendations shall be presented to the Council for approval.
Community Outreach
This committee is tasked with maintaining existing outreach programs, like Suquamish Community Kitchen (a subcommittee), and developing other means to put our commitment to our community in action. Recommendations shall be presented to the Council for approval. Ongoing programs do not require Council approval for routine process and expenses, but any other funding needs or program commitments need Council approval.
Communications
This committee is charged with oversight of means and methods to communicate the church’s message with congregants and the community. They propose changes to the website for Council approval, coordinate with staff on bulletins and email communications going out, and consider ways to improve communications to present to the Council.
Facilities
This committee is responsible for identifying maintenance issues with the facility, arranging for repairs as necessary, and identifying major maintenance needs for consideration by the Council. Repairs or supplies estimated to cost in excess of $200 will require Council approval. The committee supplies support and liaison to the Council when there are issues related to facility rentals or other uses. The committee will appoint one member to be the point of contact with the Office Manager.
Fellowship Committee
This committee helps coordinate typical hospitality needs including coffee hour, Soup and Something Simple, and certain church sponsored special events.
The Committee asks people to help contribute to coffee hour by signing up for specific days to bring treats. This also involves serving them and cleaning up the kitchen. The same applies for our monthly Soup and Something Simple and some special events that may happen at church such as a wedding or funeral.
The Committee has divided the year into quarters: January-March, April-June, July-September and October-December. Two committee members coordinate the scheduling of volunteers for coffee hour and Soup and Something Simple each quarter. The Committee has created a list of responsibilities to follow when assigned up to help in the kitchen. New signs are posted to explain these responsibilities. Sign-up sheets are posted near the kitchen door.
Finance
This committee is responsible for assuring that all income and expense of the church are recorded properly and reported to regulatory agencies as required. This includes oversight of contract with accountants and liaison with staff to verify that church financial records are recorded appropriately. The committee is also responsible for reporting financial statements as directed, to the Council and congregation each month and for developing an annual budget for the Council to propose to the congregation. They also negotiate leases and long-term facilities uses, in consultation with the Council. Committee membership is 3 to 5 people, preferably church members with some financial or accounting background. Members are to be appointed by the Council as necessary. The Treasurer of the Church and the Financial Secretary shall be members of this committee unless excused by the Council.
Pastoral Assistance – Called to Care
This committee coordinates with the Pastor to support congregants both individually and as a whole in times of need, such as deaths in the family, illness and other traumatic events. This is done by providing support, transportation, meals, dialog, etc.
The C2C Team is composed of 8-10 members, including the pastor, who implement the church’s program of intentional care for persons of our faith community based on requested or identified needs.
New members may request to be on this committee or the team may decide to ask someone to join when there is a need for new members. New members will be given the list of qualifications to look at to make sure they feel it is a commitment they can adhere to. Training will be offered to new members.
The C2C Team selects a leader whose responsibilities include:
- Leading the meetings
- Sending out reminders of the meeting, including a tentative agenda
- Writing up and sending out minutes of the meetings
- Organizing annual trainings for members, as needed
Committee approved charter 11/16 along with a job description for members. More
Pastoral Relations
Council appoints members of this committee, after soliciting participation from members of the church. The committee should have at least 3 members and no more than 5 members. The Council verifies approval of these members by the pastor via private consultation, and by the congregation at the next semi-annual meeting. Members may serve as long as they are able, subject to annual reappointment by the Council. The purpose and mission of the PRC (a.k.a. “Curious Pastoral Listening Board”) is to support the Pastor and steward the relationship between the Pastor and the congregation. The PRC engages in active listening, inquiry and, as needed, facilitated conversations in order to clarify mutual expectations and concerns. The content of these conversations will remain confidential, as defined by Church policy. Council approved on 10/24/16
Personnel
The committee consists of three members of the Church chosen to reflect as broad a representation as possible of the Congregation. Members are selected based on their aptitude and experience in handling personnel matters in their life experience. The Council appoints members of the Congregation to serve as the Personnel Committee. They are selected for staggered terms of 3 years, so that every year one member will be considered for replacement. At the discretion of the Council, members can serve two consecutive 3-year terms, and additional terms if Council determines it is in the Church’s best interest. Council shall solicit participation from among all members for these positions. Members may be Council members but are not required to be. Meeting minutes of this committee with regard to pastoral staff shall be made available to the congregation. This Personnel Committee shall:
- Recommend to the Council, as necessary, any personnel changes or additions.
- Update job descriptions and institute periodic time sheets, as necessary, for the purpose of determining Church priorities in relation to the staff.
- Insure that regular evaluations of staff are conducted, approximately annually, in separate meetings with each.
- Recommend employment procedures, vacation time, attendance at conferences and continuing education for staff for approval by Council.
- Present negotiated staff salaries and benefits to the Council for approval.
- Insure all employment agreements are updated as needed and signed as soon as practical following the Winter semi-meeting by the staff involved, a representative of the Personnel Committee, and a representative of the Council.
- Act on behalf of the membership on all matters dealing with church staff, and shall be accountable to the Council. Staff shall be accountable to this Committee.
Worship
This committee works with the Pastor and other staff to generate a plan for worship activities, coordinate special worship events, and coordinate with other committees for routine worship needs. The committee will propose any substantial changes to worship routine to the Council for consideration.