There are several ways to get involved at Nativity! Just see where your passion takes you! Commit to serving on a couple of Sundays each year or find a group with similar interests and get more deeply rooted in one or more of many ministries.
Church Services (Sundays and Special Services)
Opportunities abound for those interested in helping before, during, and after Nativity’s Sunday services, as well as for services held on special occasions. Contacts for the various volunteer activities are shown in parentheses.
Volunteers are needed to help in the office one morning a week to copy and collate church bulletins, aid with mailings, answer phones, etc. (Bradley Burgess). In addition, floral enthusiasts prepare beautiful flower arrangements prior to the service (Ailsa Tessier).
Various liturgical ministries follow:
It’s also fun to be involved with after-service fellowship by making coffee, tea, lemonade, etc. and providing a snack for parishioners who like to mingle awhile before going home. Helping with organization, set up, and clean up for special events is another opportunity to serve the church. Contact Shelia Knapp if this is your cup of tea!
On Sunday mornings and evenings, formation classes are offered for youth (ages 3-11) and adults. Volunteers are needed to aid in teaching the children and youth formation groups. Please contact Jeremy Clos if you’re interested in interacting with the future of Nativity or if you have questions regarding upcoming adult formation classes!
Pastoral Care
After a birth, death, or emergency, a network of parishioners delivers meals as needed. In addition, Nativity’s Stephen Ministers provide confidential, Christian care to those going through a difficult time in their lives (Susie Holmes).
The rector also is in contact with those who are ill or homebound, and a prayer chain is in place for special needs of parishioners and family and friends (Carolyn Kerr).
Daughters of the King (DoK) is a spiritual sisterhood of women dedicated to a life of prayer, service, and evangelism. All DoK members take life-long vows to follow a Rule of Life and service as part of this lay order within the church (Carolyn Kerr).
For more information, please refer to Church Life, Caring for Each Other.
General Ministries
Other ministries/committees work behind the scenes to ensure the short- and long-term needs of the church are met. For instance, the Communications Committee oversees the various communications efforts of Nativity, including newsletters, social media, website, and banners (Gail Christensen).
The Buildings and Grounds Committee maintains the three buildings and the campus of Nativity, including the Memorial Garden (Dave McKimmon).
The Outreach Committee, led by Pete Crow, is involved in several missions to provide support to others. Its three main areas of focus are food security, environmental stewardship/creation care, and social justice. Please go to Outreach at Nativity under Church Life. In addition, Nativity has begun to discuss and develop actions for healing racial divisions through Social Justice Advocacy and Racial Reconciliation (Beth Crow and Becky Showalter). For information on these missions as well as others, please see Church Life, Outreach at Nativity.
Nativity has a Creation Care Committee that focuses on Nativity’s practice of mindful stewardship of our planet through conserving energy and resources, protecting habitat, building healthy soil, and working for climate/food justice. More information can be found under Church Life, Creation Care (Steve Dearth & Sherry Hedrick).
Education for Ministry is a four-year program of study. Participants meet weekly in seminars led by trained mentors to study the Bible, church history, and theology while learning to engage in theological reflection. (Jeremy Clos)
Contact Yvette Smith if you want to help with developing plans and events to welcome new members and assist them in finding the programs to meet their needs.
The Finance Committee develops and manages the church budget, audits, and other financial matters of the church (Matt Dutton), while the Vestry takes the lead in the annual stewardship campaign (George Douglas).
The Vestry, alongside the rector, helps plan, define, and carry out the mission of the congregation.
Social Ministries
Nativity is a thriving community that enjoys interacting socially. The Chatty Yarns meet one morning a week at church to knit, crochet, and chat. A Nativity Foyer group, in which adult singles and couples meet monthly in small groups at each other’s homes for dinner and conversation, is growing in numbers (Ailsa Tessier). Nativity Seniors also gather monthly at a local restaurant for food, fellowship, and fun (Cheryl Waechter).
If you’re all about expressing team spirit, consider signing up for the Nativity men’s softball team – the Nativity Kneelers (Robert Joines).