Time & Talent

Saint Timothy’s Episcopal Church is a Christian community, welcoming to all, that urtures worship, prayer, study, fellowship, and service.

Opportunities to use your God-given talents to share in the mission and ministry of St. Timothy's Church. The work of the church is organized by commissions, which sponsor specific activities. Descriptions of these activities follow, along with a guide to finding your own niche and information about how you can participate.

Scroll down through the offerings to find activities to suit you if you:

want to assist in worship
as usher, acolyte, lay reader, greeter
serve on the altar guild
join the choir or play an instrument

want to make new friends
participate on committees: volunteer!
teach a Christian formation class (Christian Formation)
join a St. Francis team (St. Francis Gild)
volunteer in the church office (Communications)
help with the church nursery (Christian Formation)
help with the ECW bake sale (Episcopal Church Women)

want to serve people
volunteer in the soup kitchen (Soup Kitchen)
join a St. Francis team (St. Francis)
join the prayer chain (Pastoral Care)
help with the Habitat house (Missions)
volunteer in the church office (Communicatins)

want to be involved in family activities
participate in the Wednesday evening programs (all commissions)
help organize church celebrations (Parish Life/Worship)
teach, assist, or substitute in Christian formation programs (Christian Formation)

want a short-term project
participate in parish clean-up days (Properties)
bring games to the picnic (Parish Life)
bake cookies for the ECW bake sale (ECW)
substitute in a Christian formation class (Christian Formation)
help clean up after parish activities (Parish Life)


If you want something you can do at home
bake cookies, bread, or rolls to take to shut-ins and newcomers (Pastoral Care)
prepare a covered dish for a potluck or celebration (Parish Life)
write cards to shut-ins (St. Francis Guild)
join the prayer chain (Pastoral Care)
write an article for the Epistle

If you want to teach
offer to teach a Christian formation class
volunteer in the reading program
work with youth

If you want to put your handyman/handywoman skills to work
sign up for a parish work day (Properties)
cook or bake for the bake sale (ECW)
volunteer to work in the garden/columbarium (Properties)
help with mailings (Communications)
help set up and/or clean up for special events (Parish Life)

If you have marketing and promotion skills
join the Stewardship Commission
join the Communications and Marketing Commission
help ECW with the annual bake sale
be a greeter
if you have organizing skills
join one of the commissions
volunteer for the ECW bake sale
help with parish events

Christian Formation Commission

The Christian Formation Commission supervises all the activities relating to education in the church. These include staffing the nursery (for Sundays and special events), Sunday School, special education classes such as communion and confirmation, summer activities such as Adventure Camp and Vacation Bible School, Youth Group (EYC) with parish and diocesan youth events, and the youth choir.
You may volunteer your gifts:

serving on the commission
assisting in the nursery
teaching Christian formation classes (pre-K through 12th grade)
helping to develop adult and/or young adult curriculum
helping to teach adult education sessions
assisting with special communion classes
assisting with confirmation classes
assisting with Adventure Camp
assisting with Vacation Bible School
helping with Youth Group (EYC)
helping to coordinate youth events
helping with transportation to youth events
helping with youth choir

Communications Commission

The Communications Commission’s develops strategies to help our congregation:

spread the Good News (Gospel)
communicate our mission, goals, and progress
encourage attendance and participation
provide information that increases awareness of our ministries and activities
improve our effectiveness, productivity, and coordination
build community
increase membership
educate our children and adults
improve ecumenical relations
reach out to the community

Our communications facilitate sharing of information about parish activities. They include:

Epistle, a monthly newletter
weekly e-mail update (also printed in order of service)
order of service
website
project management systems
telephone
printed materials (internal and external)

You may volunteer your gifts:

serving on the commission; meets on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 5:15
in the office: spend a morning (9:00–12:00) at the front desk, answering the phone, greeting visitors, occasionally addressing cards
helping to fold and apply address labels to the Epistle one morning a month

writing for the Epistle: express your opinion or summarize a story from the Episcopal News Service
helping to work on our web site

offering feedback on our communications—how’re we doing?

Missions Commission

The Missions Commission is helping to build a Habitat for Humanity house and helping to build and support a medical building in Panama. The commission sponsors fundraising events and activities to help support these projects and disaster relief efforts. It brings interesting speakers to St. Timothy’s to inform members of the congregation about mission activities. It also helps to support a local reading program for preschoolers.
You may volunteer your gifts:

working on a Habitat house
contributing money or goods for the building of a house
signing up to go to Panama (February 2008)
contributing money to support someone else’s trip to Panama
contributing money to the cost of building materials for mission trip
helping with fundraising events: selling tickets, setting up, cleaning up, etc.
tutoring local children in reading program
helping with Imagination Library program for ages birth to five years

Parish Life Commission

The Parish Life Commission organizes Lenten dinners, receptions for special events (visits by the bishop, first communion), parish clean-up days, the parish picnic and family retreat, and a parish birthday party for Baby Jesus.
You may volunteer your gifts:

for dinners and special receptions:
bring food or beverages
help set up or clean up
supply decorations (flowers, candles)
host at receptions (meet and greet at the door)
for parish picnic
bring food or beverages
coordinate children’s activities
help set up or clean up
for parish family retreat
serve on planning committee
schedule guest speakers
provide games for families to play
provide snacks
for parish birthday party for Baby Jesus
bring party favors
provide cake
provide beverages
decorate Anderson Hall
clean up
help formulate a reenactment of the event
organize party games for all ages
for parish clean-up day
supply cleaning agents (brass/silver cleaner, dusting agent, Windex, etc)
supply cleaning tools (rags, mops, buckets, sponges)
coordinate schedule of tasks

Pastoral Care Commission

The Pastoral Care Commission sponsors activities that allow members of the congregation to reach out to one another and to the community. These activities include:

taking rolls to visitors/potential newcomers
hosting newcomer dinners
posting snapshhots of newcomers on Anderson Hall bulletin board
outreach to Barton College students: students and staff are invited to church on a Sunday in September and to a covered dish luncheon following the service; exam week goodie bags are prepared for Barton students in December and in May; holiday cards are sent to Barton students, and they are invited to all special worship services
sending cards to shut-ins on holidays and when they are sick
hosting a tea for the parish staff and office volunteers in December
providing baptismal napkins for babies on their baptism
sponsoring Parish Pals: members pray for a randomly chosen young member of our parish and acknowledge the important events in his or her life
helping set up and serve the Seder dinner
assembling hygiene kits for migrant workers, with St. Mark’s
sponsoring the prayer chain: members pray for persons with special concerns

You may volunteer your gifts:

serving on the commission; meets on the first Tuesday of the month, 5:15
being a Parish Pal
taking rolls to visitors
helping with Barton College luncheon
donating items for exam-week bags
donating items for hygiene kits for migrants
sending cards to shut-ins
joining the prayer chain

Property Commission

The Property Commission supervises the administration of St. Timothy’s buildings and their grounds. It oversees the work of a sexton/housekeeper; ensures that the building is maintained properly and its systems working; supervises landscaping and garden care, including the columbarium; and sponsors the garden club.

You may volunteer your gifts:

serving on the committee
participating in a parish cleanup day

dusting
polishing
painting
washing windows
cleaning kitchen

serving on the garden subcommittee

pruning
weeding

Stewardship and Finance

The Stewardship and Finance Commission oversees the stewardship initiative, the time and talent campaign, and a capital campaign (if necessary). The Finance Committee oversees the development and implementation of St. Timothy’s budget. It is the financial responsibility of this commission to seek ways to provide the funds necessary for the ministries of this congregation and to maintain its buildings and grounds.
You may volunteer your gifts:

helping with the stewardship initiative
assisting with the time and talent fair
assist at a booth
provide snacks or beverages
help set up or clean up
make signs and posters
helping prepare mailings

Worship

The Worship Committee oversees St. Timothy’s worship, including planning and coordinating special worship services. The committee oversees the Altar Guild, the altar flower schedule, acolytes, choir and music, ushers, lay readers, and lay eucharistic ministers. It plans Wednesday evening programs, including, in cooperation with the Christian Formation Commission, the Lenten programs.
You may volunteer your gifts:

serving on the commission; meets the third Monday of the month at 5:15
serving as an acolyte
singing in the choir
playing a musical instrument
helping with Wednesday night programs
serving as an usher
serving as a lay reader
greeting people at the church door before and after the service

Altar Guild

The Altar Guild prepares the altar of our Savior, Jesus Christ, for the celebration of Holy Eucharist. In so doing, Altar Guild members minister to the clergy, supporting them as they celebrate the sacraments; minister to the congregation, preparing a place of peace and beauty where they may receive the body and blood of Jesus; minister to one another by example of dedication and encouragement; and minister to the world by setting themselves in God’s way. This ministry is open to all: women, men, families. Members work in teams, sharing a very special fellowship. Scheduling is flexible.

You may volunteer your gifts:

serving on a monthly team
serving on a weekly team
scheduling the altar flowers

Episcopal Church Women (ECW)

The Episcopal Church Women is a group, the St. Timothy’s chapter of a national organization, that empowers women to do Christ’s ministry in the world. All women who are members of the congregation are members of ECW. The St. Timothy’s chapter sponsors:

the annual bake sale on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving
the St. Francis Guild
the United Thank Offering
Christian social ministries
collecting Campbell’s soup labels to benefit the Thompson Child and Family Focus
the Church Periodical Club
the social hour following the 10:30 service
St. Timothy’s Memorial Library

You may volunteer your gifts:

helping with the bake sale

bake casseroles, bread, rolls
cook chickens
sell raffle tickets
be a sales associate
help prepare luncheon
help set up
help clean up

serving lemonade and cookies after the 10:30 service
assisting with Christian social ministries
join a St. Francis team (call on shut-ins, with a team, during one month of the year)

Book Group
meets on the third Tuesday of the month, September–May, from 6:00–7:00, n the home of one of the participants to discuss a book selected by the group.

Soup Kitchen
a community ministry supported by several local churches. Volunteers make soup or prepare and serve lunch to 45–65 people Monday through Friday, 9:30–11:45. Volunteers work in teams (serving one day a month) to prepare lunch; soup is prepared once a week (Tuesday mornings) by teams of volunteers who also serve once a month.

Bible study groups

Men’s Bible study meets on Wednesday mornings, 7:00–8:00, in Anderson Hall.

Women’s Bible study meets on Wednesday at 1:00 in Anderson Hall.

Young Women’s Group
A new group that will meet on the second Wednesday of the month to discuss issues of common interest, with occasional speakers, and will seek ways to reach out to the community. The group will also sponsor a young foyers program, meeting four times a year in the homes of members for dinner.