committees

Church Council

The Church Council acts for the Church
between gatherings of the congregation.

Officers:
Pastor, Moderator, Vice Moderator, Clerk, Treasurer

Boards:
Trustees and Deacons

Program Committees:
Stewardship and Church Support, Christian Education, Evangelism, Music, Social Justice, Wider Church Relations, Peace

Peace Committee

The Peace Committee is made up of six members, elected by congregation.

Peace Committee Goals
- Foster an understanding of peace issues and actions in the church and community.
- Keep in touch with peacemaking concerns and resources of the United Church of Christ as a peacemaking church, especially as these are related to emphases and programs lifted up by General Synod, the national ministries, the Southeast Conference, and the Alabama-Tennessee Association.
- Enlist church members and other concerned persons in peacemaking study and action projects according to their interest and convictions.

Activities Include:
- Involving the congregation in celebrations and memorials surrounding Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Hiroshima Day.
- Promoting peaceful demonstrations at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (School of Americas) and Y-12 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
- Engaging members in all manner of peace- related activities including worship, study and witness.

Social Justice

This committee has six members, elected by the congregation.

Social Justice Goals
- Acquaint congregation with concerns and resources of the Justice and Witness Ministries of the UCC, S.E. Conference and Alabama-Tennessee Association.
- Foster an understanding of and concern for social, economic and environmental challenges.
- Engage members according to their interests and convictions in God's mission locally and globally.

Activities Include:
- Sponsors the Alternative Christmas Fair.
- Promotes the Tax-Aid program offering free income tax filing service.
- Provides educational films on subjects vital to the church's concern for justice.
- Supports Neighbors Together with food and monetary gifts.
- Prepares a monthly bulletin board to - highlight current matters of interest.
- Joins other committees in planning commemorative services, e.g., Martin Luther King, Jr. and Hiroshima Day.
- Cooperates with A-CAT and PFLAG programs.

Wider Church Relations

This committee supports
evangelical work of like-minded churches and individuals internationally and raises awareness about social justice issues outside the U.S. It also collects funds for emergency aid overseas.

Activities Include:
- Maintains active mission work through Matanzas Seminary Book Fund and the Cuba Caravan, challenging the U.S. boycott of Cuba, and raising awareness about Cubans unjustly imprisoned in the U.S.
- Holds a monthly mission collection to support denominational emergency aid and a foster daughter, Hemalatha Narayanan, in India.
- Sponsors visits by missionaries and denominational leaders to speak and preach several times each year.
- Manages and supports our relationship with a sister church in Santiago de Cuba.