Deacon Ministry
Deacons
Class of 2012 - Mark Askin, Stephen Cooke, Marian English, Charles Knighton, Mark Maphis, Vernon Mays, Kathy McDaniel, Sharon Moeser
Class of 2013 - Barbara Batson, Midge Cooke, Anne Evans, Faith Harmon, Dominic Madigan, Elva Mapp, Melissa Schutt, Taylor Sprenkle
Class of 2014 - Betty Dickie, Lollie Hoel, Erica Mills, Andy Morgan, Carol Womack, Charles Young, Jim Young
The Deacon Ministry at Second Presbyterian is an active ministry that reaches out to connect and care for our church members. Twenty-three individuals serve as dedicated deacons. Along with the pastoral staff, they provide pastoral care, and they help members connect with the church through various social activities.
Our denomination states that the office of deacon as set forth in scripture is one of compassion, witness, and service after the example of Jesus Christ. Deacons here at Second seek to fulfill the call of Christ to love one another as Christ loves us. They routinely make visits to hospitals and nursing homes, and meet with people who find themselves in need of individual pastoral care. When a family or individual needs support, it is the deacon ministry that pulls together the plan and follows through. Our support for each other also includes times of joy, like a wedding celebration, the birth of a child, or a baptism.
The deacons are also involved in the ministry of hospitality. To assist this ministry, our church is divided into “neighborhoods,” and each deacon is assigned to one. However, deacons also work closely together and help support each other when needed. The deacons truly serve the church by reaching out in love to the community of Second Presbyterian Church and beyond. Each Sunday morning, they act as greeters along with an elder, and you will find a deacon sitting at the desk in the lobby to help assist members and visitors. They also arrange the coffee hour after church each Sunday which is supported by their church neighborhoods.
Deacons are elected by the church nominating committee. They serve three year terms and meet monthly for spiritual renewal, training, planning, and communication with one another. Being a deacon is a serious and meaningful calling, but also a joyful one. Deacons have the privilege of serving individuals and the congregation at large; they walk side by side with others through both the painful and joyous transitions of life.
If you would like more information or need pastoral care, please contact Gail Monsma our Associate Pastor by telephone at 804 649 9148, or via email at gmonsma@2presrichmond.org. Click here to send an email Gail.
Who is Jesus Christ to me?
As part of Officer Training, each elder and deacon was asked to answer this question. Here are some of their responses:
Betty Dickie - Jesus is the son of God, head of the church, who died for our sings and brings us eternal life. That is the easy definition derived from Sunday school and catechism. What he is to me is harder to put into words.
As a child, when a noise or sensation of touch happened when I was alone, I would tell myself that it was just Jesus letting me know he was there, watching over me. Then I wasn’t afraid. As I’ve gotten older I find that comfort in other ways. Jesus’ humanity, the fact that he felt love, anger, cold, hunger, brings him closer. The fact that he lost his temper, talked back to his mother, and made snide remarks to people who annoyed him, gives me hope that my many transgressions will be forgiven.
And where God has always been the stern father figure, loving yet strict and judgmental, Jesus has seemed more the big brother, interpreting the father’s words, instructing how to carry them out, and taking on the punishment with me, all with a loving arm around my shoulders and never saying I told you so.
Jim Young - First let me start by relating an unsolicited comment, out of the blue, that my daughter made to me a few years ago. (She is in that agnostic period of one’s life.) She said to me, “Dad, you know that Jesus was just a man.” I remember my response very well. It came without pause and without reflection. “Man or not, he certainly changed the world – and a lot of what’s good that we live by has been past down by a lot of people in the thousands of years before us about what he stood for.” My daughter’s response; “You are right about that.” Is that the extent of my daughter’s belief or knowledge of Jesus? Perhaps. Is that the right belief? Perhaps it is right for her. Is that what I believe? Yes. But I believe more. Jesus is part of me. I can never remember when it has not been that way. He’s like a coach, a mentor, a parent, a brother, my best friend and protector – not so much as a protector for me, but for those and those things that I care about. It is impossible for me not to believe or rather not to know this. There have been too many instances in my life, whether it was because of a very directed prayer or because of a short mumble – that many would think was swearing – that an answer came. Sometimes at a later time and sometimes instantly in the form of a physical reality . . . .
From reading the Book of Order, it seems that I should be saying Jesus is the Church. I’ve never really thought too much on that. I’ve just known that my belief was as real as the fingers on my hand. To me, the Church has always been a group of people that had to have, needed to have, or wanted to have a central connection in a belief that there was something great about why we are ALL here. I guess I’ve always felt that other than the Bible, God doesn’t need to be explained by books.
Carol Womack - I am having a great difficulty in writing my response. I know that one reason is that this is an overwhelming question. The other reason is that I have recently finished Jack Spong's latest book, Eternal Life: A New Vision. This book has had a profound effect on me. I found many thought provoking ideas; perhaps the most prevailing was the mingling of science, history, and mysticism.
Jesus is an incredible Historic and spiritual man and leader. Yes, I believe over and above all that Jesus was a very human man. I believe the gospels were written to explain in detail the context of Jesus' life.
Do I believe Jesus is the Son of God and part of the Trinity? Yes, faith and personal experience leads me there. Do I believe Jesus died for our sins? I believe Jesus was killed becasue he was threatening to the establishment. I believe that in dying a very painful death that Christians accept with faith that through Jesus' death we are saved.
I believe Jesus lived an exceptional and extraordinary life, the Christian life. I believe the accounts of his life show me the ultimate in what we Christians should strive for in life. He is perceptive, loving, forgiving, patient, indignant, kind, and accepting. I believe Jesus is love.