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.”
- 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 2021
Nancy Avery
Kara Aycock
Shipley Jenkins
Dallas Pridgen
Jim Schultz
Jan Simmons
Ken Younts
Class of 2022
Lee Ann Buck
Mickey Herrin
Chuck Osborne
Ken Pearce
Bill Sanford
Katherine Savage
Jim Snapper
Kristen Stewart
Tracy Woody
Class of 2023
Jesse Basnight, Jr.
Abbie DeVries
Fred Hill
Ella Kavanaugh (Youth Deacon)
Gwendolyn Lamb
Doug Lawson
Day McLaughlin
Samantha Schilling
Craig Shreve
Robin Thomas
Deacon Neighborhoods
2021 University Presbyterian Church Deacon Neighborhoods 1.14.21
Neighborhood #1
North Chapel, Hillsborough
Jim Snapper
Neighborhood #3
Carol Woods
Katherine Savage
Neighborhood #4
North Lakeshore
Gwen Lamb
Neighborhood #5
Booker Creek, Erwin Road
Abby DeVries
Neighborhood #6
South Lakeshore, Estes Hills
Jesse Basnight, Jr.
Neighborhood #7
Colony Woods, Legion Road
Ken Younts
Neighborhood #8
Homestead, Eubanks, Rogers Rd.
Sam Schilling
Neighborhood #9
Briarcliff, University Mall, Ridgefield
Kristen Stewart
Neighborhood #10
Downtown Chapel Hill
Jan Simmons
Neighborhood #11
Southeastside
Jim Schultz
Neighborhood #12
Carolina Meadows
Lee Ann Buck
Neighborhood #13
Falconbridge
Day McLaughlin
Neighborhood #14
Meadowmont
Doug Lawson
Neighborhood #15
North Carrboro, Lake Hogan, and West
Dallas Pridgen
Neighborhood #16
Jones Ferry, Carrboro
Mickey Herrin
Neighborhood #17
Southern Chapel Hill
Kara Aycock
Neighborhood #18
Southern Village
Ella Kavanaugh
Neighborhood #19
Polk’s Landing, Heritage Hills,
Robin Thomas
Neighborhood #20
Fearrington Village
Ken Pearce
Neighborhood #21
North/Central Durham
Bill Sanford
Neighborhood #22
The Oaks
Tracy Woody
Neighborhood #23
Southeast Chapel Hill, Governor’s
Chuck Osborne
Neighborhood #24
The Cedars
Shannon Pace
Neighborhood #25
Galloway Ridge, Pittsboro
Fred Hill
Neighborhoods #26
Wake County and East
Craig Shreve
Neighborhoods #27 and #2
Woodcroft and Hope Valley, Durham, Timberlyne, Piney Mountain
Shipley Jenkins
Deacon Care Teams
2020
Memorial Receptions– Dallas Pridgen, Kristen Stewart, Jan Simmons
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– Kara Aycock, Shannon Pace, Mickey Herrin
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– Jim Schultz, Chuck Osborne
This team 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– Lee Ann Buck, Bill Sanford
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– Katherine Savage, Jim Snapper
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– Lee Ann Buck, Ken Pearce
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– Bill Sanford
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
Dinner Groups– Shipley Jenkins
There has been significant interest in the formation of fellowship groups to help people get to know each other outside of the church setting and to foster a greater sense of community within out congregation. This new care team will research, organize, and launch this program at UPC.
Deacon Co-moderators/Deacons to Deacon – Ken Younts, Tracy Woody
The leaders of the Diaconate will coordinate meeting agendas, publicity items, minutes, training, etc.
They will also seek to be deacons to deacons.