People

Priesthood of Believers

“Christ has made us priests, a chosen and holy people, a people to serve God in love.” ~ Menno Simons, The True Christian Faith, 1556

We center our church life on the belief that we come together as a priesthood of believers. This commitment grows from our Anabaptist roots in the sixteenth-century Radical Reformation. We live this out in community in various ways:

• In terms of the organization and operation of our church, all congregants are invited to participate in our bi-monthly Congregational Life Meetings where we make decisions by the consensus of the gathered members.

• We believe that every person who comes through our doors may minister to our community in some way. We build our worship and fellowship around the people who gather every week, people who share the responsibilities of preaching, song leading, praying, service planning, and scripture reading. God speaks through all of us.

• As a non-hierarchical community, our pastor is a member of our congregation, a sibling in the faith who serves as an extension of our communal discernment. A committee of deacons, who are appointed by the congregation, guide the pastor’s role as a leader in our community.

Committees

All of us contribute to the week-to-week operation of church through sharing our time and energy. In addition to the leadership positions listed above, we have several standing committees to tend to our common life:

• The Worship Committee (current members: Nathan Hershberger, Ryan Jarrell, Steve Jolley, Catherine Lee, Erin Mullaney, Nick Plummer, Haley Schomburg, Isaac Villegas).
• The Children/Youth Committee (current members: Catherine Lee, Chris Liu-Beers, Erin Mullaney, Rebecca Rich, Kathy Roberts).
• The Hospitality Committee (current members: Kaitlin Heatwole, Tana Liu-Beers, Sarah Marks, Jen Peifer, Stephanie Ross)
• The Finance Committee (current members: Steve Jolley, Jen Peifer, Stacy Miller, Tom Lehman, Zach Yordy)

Leadership Roles

We appoint three church officers to care for our organizational life and guide us in our collective responsibilities for sustaining our community. They serve in positions that range from 1 to 3 years terms. Currently, the following members have been appointed as officers :

Church Moderator: Stacy Miller
Secretary: Chris Liu-Beers
Treasurer: Steve Jolley

We appoint four deacons, each serving a three-year term, to serve our congregation as follows: to supervise and care for the pastor, to help facilitate our discernment of the church’s mission, to administer the ordinances of the church, to share in the work of pastoral care for congregants, to distribute money from the benevolence fund as needed, and to guide us in our Anabaptist convictions.