Deacon Ministry at UPC
- Phone calls
Twice a year, deacons contact all those who live in their neighborhoods to see how you are doing.
To ask: Is there anything about which you would like for us to be praying?
- Visiting and sending cards
The sick. The homebound. Families with newborns.
Those with great joy or great sorrow.
Romans 12:15, “Rejoice with those who rejoice,
weep with those who weep.”
- Deacon in the Narthex
Welcoming, helping, visiting.
- Memorial Service Receptions
Soup to nuts. Food, set-up, service, clean up.
Creating a time for families and friends to gather, remember, and be together.
- Flowers
Taking flowers from UPC’s Sunday morning worship to those who will benefit form a gift of joy and beauty.
- History
Coordinating, organizing, and preserving the history of UPC and creating a memorial book telling about the lives of those whose ashes are interred in the Anne McClamroch McFall Memorial Garden.
- All of this and much, much more.
Currently serving Deacons are:
Class of 2019
Barbara Hedgepeth
Leslie Hicks
June Kendall
Laura Kirk
Keith Minton
Mike Olson
Ed Preston
Anna Soderling, Youth Deacon
Susan Swafford
Cass Swon
Class of 2020
Ron Adams
Helen Brantley
Beth Burns
Jenny Eller
Peter Gollmar
Carolyn Hart
Elva Small
Priscilla Taylor
Helen Warner
Class of 2021
Nancy Avery
Kara Aycock
Heidi Cook
Shipley Jenkins
Catherine McKenas
Sara Nicholson
Dallas Pridgen
Jim Schultz
Ken Younts
Deacon Neighborhoods
2018 University Presbyterian Church Deacon Neighborhoods 12.29.2017
Neighborhoods #1 and 2
North Chapel, Hillsborough Timberlyne, Piney Mountain
Laura Kirk
Neighborhood #3
Carol Woods
Helen Brantley, Ed Preston
Neighborhood #4
North Lakeshore
Peter Gollmar
Neighborhood #5
Booker Creek, Erwin Road
Carolyn Hart
Neighborhood #6
South Lakeshore, Estes Hills
Jenny Eller
Neighborhood #7
Colony Woods, Legion Road
Jane Griffin
Neighborhood #8
Homestead, Eubanks, Rogers Rd.
Nancy Pfaltzgraff
Neighborhood #9
Briarcliff, University Mall, Ridgefield
Susan Swafford
Neighborhood #10
Downtown Chapel Hill
Kathy Clemmons
Neighborhood #11
Southeastside
Caroline Jones
Neighborhood #12
Carolina Meadows
Cass Swon
Priscilla Taylor
Neighborhood #13
Falconbridge
Beth Burns
Neighborhood #14
Meadowmont
Michelle Abel-Shoup
Neighborhood #15
North Carrboro, Lake Hogan, and West
Patrick Kavanaugh
Neighborhood #16
Jones Ferry, Carrboro
Mike Olson
Neighborhood #17
Southern Chapel Hill
Tabitha Alexander
Neighborhood #18
Southern Village
Ron Adams
Neighborhood #19
Polk’s Landing, Heritage Hills,
Elva Small
Neighborhood #20
Fearrington Village
Barbara Hedgepath
Neighborhood #21
North/Central Durham
Leslie Hicks
Neighborhood #22
The Oaks
Keith Minton
Neighborhood #23
Southeast Chapel Hill, Governor’s
June Kendall
Neighborhood #24
The Cedars
Sarah Owen
Neighborhood #25
Galloway Ridge, Pittsboro
Helen Warner
Neighborhoods #26
Wake County and East
Will Corley
Neighborhoods #27
Woodcroft and Hope Valley, Durham
Collette Drake
Deacon Care Teams
2018
Memorial Receptions
Kathy Clemmons, Jane Griffin, June Kendall, Keith Minton, Mike Olson, Nancy Pfaltzgraff, Elva Small, Helen Warner
This team is responsible for coordinating memorial receptions: providing food, volunteering to set up, host, and cleanup. Each member of this care team will serve as coordinator for two months out of the year
**Need daytime, last-minute flexibility since most services happen short-notice and often during the week. Members of this team should be in town often enough and flexible enough to attend most memorial services and generally be willing to stay the whole time.
Cards and Flowers
Michelle Abel-Shoup, Tabitha Alexander, Beth Burns, Caroline Jones, Laura Kirk, Sarah Owen
Each member of this team signs up for two months worth of Sundays to deliver flowers from Sunday worship on Sunday afternoon or Monday morning to UPC members on the congregational care list. Each member also takes two months of sending cards to the members on the congregational care list.
Older Adult Ministry
Will Corley, Carolyn Hart, Barbara Hedgepeth, Patrick Kavanaugh, Mike Olson, Nancy Pfaltzgraff
This team will build on the good groundwork laid by the 2017 team, who hosted a luncheon for members 65 and over in the congregation. They will assess needs among older adults for transportation, fellowship, and intergenerational contact, and they will begin laying a foundation for a visitation ministry in the church.
Home Communions
Helen Brantley, Jenny Eller, Peter Gollmar
This team will coordinate deacons to carry communion to those who are homebound four times a year. Involves: calling those who are homebound to determine receptivity, ensuring that sufficient deacons are signed up for each session, pairing up servers and receivers. Training and liturgy will be provided by the church staff.
Carol Woods
Helen Brantley, Ed Preston
This team is particularly charged with caring for the Carol Woods (a continuing care retirement facility) population. They visit residents as needed, attend the monthly worship services (3rd Sunday of the month at 4pm), and plan at least one gathering annually.
Carolina Meadows
Cass Swon, Priscilla Taylor
This team is particularly charged with caring for the Carolina Meadows (a continuing care retirement facility) population. They visit residents as needed, attend the monthly worship services (2nd Sunday of the month at 4pm), and plan at least one gathering annually.
Meal Train
Ron Adams, Susan Swafford
These two coordinators will develop and maintain a list of congregational volunteers willing to bring meals to individuals or families dealing with short-term illness. As needed, this team will work with the families to deduce need, dietary concerns, and method of meal delivery and then coordinate a schedule of meals for a period of one to twelve weeks. *Need familiarity and comfort with an online system like Signup Genius
Deacon Co-moderators/Deacons to Deacon
Collette Drake, Leslie Hicks
The leaders of the Diaconate will coordinate meeting agendas, publicity items, minutes, training, etc.
They will also seek to be deacons to deacons.
