Dear Beloved Community,
This Sunday in worship, we install 24 active Deacons who have committed to serve God and our church in 2026. Four of these eight Deacons newly-called to serve are also newly-ordained to the ministry of Deacon: Rayce Lamb, Beth Sabbagh, Meredith Parker, and Steve Loftis. Our Deacons at First on Fifth serve as our church’s primary servant leaders, offering guidance for our beloved community on matters of spiritual discernment and doing so with a collaborative spirit. They represent an office outlined in scripture, one filled by “sincere individuals worthy of respect, holding deep truths of faith, full of the Spirit and wisdom.” We will lay hands on and commission them for the servant leadership that lies ahead, and in so doing, will remember our own calling to serve.
But you might wonder: what exactly does a Deacon do?
The Deacons spent careful thought last year asking that same question. And after prayerful discernment, they came up with a meaningful list, which includes:
- Upholds the vision of the church
- Extends love, belonging, and connection to our congregation with all the active individuals and families of the church
- Gives financially
- Models spiritual well-being through their leadership and their life of discipleship
- Engages with the beloved community
- Presides during the sacraments alongside the pastors
- Helps the church discern its important decisions
- Has their finger on the pulse on the congregation and represents them well
- Staffs the Nominating Committee each year
- Votes on the board members of WSCEA
- Serves as the Board of Directors for the church
- Recommends ministers for ordination
- Creates task forces as the church has need
What lives between those bullet points are all the life they live alongside each of us. Because central to the ministry of Deacon is the care of and connection with the congregation. Each active member of our church has been assigned to one of these leaders, and, among their other assignments, they will be offering their care for you and your family in the year ahead. Perhaps you are one of many like me who can speak to how your Deacon has cared for you throughout all the changing seasons of each year!
But in order for your Deacon to care for you, they need for you to let them! I don’t have a bulleted list for how precisely to do that, but let me encourage you as you hear from your Deacon. Welcome their desire to get to know you. Tell them when you need their prayer or their companionship. Pray for their ministry among us. Ask for help (Lord knows we all need it from time to time!), or for your Deacon to hold a hard thing with you. Let them know if you’re undergoing a medical procedure, or going through a tough time. Share your joys with them, so they can make your joy more complete. Be renewed by their spiritual care, and let it inspire your own!
The tender care of Deacons – extended and received – models for us the tender care of Jesus. When we gather for worship on Sunday, we’ll remember his baptism as we remember our own. We’ll share in the baptisms of several in our beloved community. We’ll bless our new Deacons and commit to their support. And through it all, we’ll each remember the tender care of the Good Shepherd, guiding us always in the way of Life.
Together in God’s work of Love,
Pastor Emily