The Church Growth and Membership Committee is established under the Board of Deacons. The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson are deacons who have taken that assignment for the year. (The Vice Chair then moves up to the Chair position the following year.) The Chair and Vice Chair recruit current members of the congregation to fill out the CG&M committee (approx. 10 in all).

This year I was most honored and privileged to work with an enthusiastic and dedicated committee. They represented our Church so well and were so willing to reach out and to share with many potential new members. Our committee included Joyce Young, Amy Thompson Jones, Les Korper, Doris Hoffenberg, Donna Marie Tennyson, Susan Dufford who served as Vice Chairperson, and Kathy Ciolkosz our staff liaison. Our church is truly blessed to have such caring and involved individuals.

The focus of the committee is to welcome visitors, to reach out to them and to nurture the newest members of First Church. We are the "front line" so to speak! We are the J face at the Welcome table each Sunday morning during the fellowship time in Schultz Hall, or on the lawn in the summer. We greet any visitors at this time, answer any questions they may have, and hand out "welcome bags". These bags include brochures about First Church, many of our different programs, and a personal note signed by Rev. David Taylor. (These welcome bags are also available in the narthex.) Working with Kathy Ciolkosz, committee members place follow up calls to those folks who have signed the pew pads on Sundays. We call to thank them for attending, invite them back to worship, and answer questions if they have any. The CG&M committee also coordinates and hosts the potential new member gatherings in the Fall and in the Spring. Once again calling those who have been visiting, and inviting them to attend the gatherings.

Our church was blessed with 17 excited and enthusiastic new members this past year. 7 on Nov. 15, 2009 and another 10 on March 21, 2010. We also welcomed 18 confirmands to our family of faith on May 31, 2009.

I want to thank each and every committee member for all their hard work and support. I also want to thank Ellen McNab, who does such a wonderful job as our photographer each year. Her photos are placed on the CG&M bulletin board, and are published in the Reminder. A big thank you to Kathy Ciolkosz, for without her, none of this would be possible. She keeps meticulous records of visitors, sends out follow up letters, letters of invitation, puts together welcome packets for the gatherings, and is a constant source of information and loving support. Many thanks also to Rev. David Taylor and to Rev. Kate Vanderzee-Glidden. David’s guidance and understanding was so helpful for me with our Fall membership, and Kate certainly stepped up to the plate for our Spring membership. These gatherings were her first, but Kate was involved, informative and engaging with the new members. She was absolutely delightful, and the new members were very comfortable with her. A final thank you goes out to Cheryl Foley, our childcare provider, who was once again on duty for our new member gatherings.

In closing, I would like to mention that CG&M has made some suggestions for improving our committee and our visibility. It was suggested that visitors might need better direction in getting to the Welcome table and the Common Fellowship on Sundays. The pastors could invite visitors to Schultz Hall/Welcome table and ask the host for that Sunday to stand. (That works though, only if the host is at the 9:00 service!) We could also provide signage in the hallway, directing visitors to Schultz Hall and the Welcome table. It was suggested to hold a reunion "brunch" or gathering this coming Fall between services. This has been done in the past, but not for a few years, so several "classes" of members could be invited. It was also suggested that perhaps the new member gatherings could be held on Sunday mornings, making it a bit more convenient and attractive, than the evening gatherings. We had wanted to reinstate the mentor program for new members, but unfortunately did not get around to that. It is an important part of the picture for our new members, so I would like to volunteer my time either this summer or whenever, to work with the new Chair, Sue Dufford, and her Vice Chair, in setting up mentors. I also will be happy to help with a reunion gathering.

I have enjoyed this experience tremendously, and have loved working with everyone involved. I look forward to returning to CG&M one day as a committee member!

Respectfully submitted,

Celia Gillard, Chair