Annual Report 2023-2024-DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 31
BOARD OF MEMBERSHIP
Chair: Lisa Merkle
Vice Chair: Elaine Van Dyck
Secretary: Taylor Crawley
Discover Plymouth Chair: Beth Stelle Jones
Discover Plymouth Vice Chair: Darin Johnson
Staff Liaison: Jared Wortman
Mission from Bylaws:
The Board of Membership will promote the welcoming nature
of Plymouth Church in the community; encourage, recruit,
integrate, and instruct prospective and new member on the life
and opportunities provided by membership and to encourage
participation in church activities; assist in the growth of Plymouth
membership by facilitating, initiating, and supporting opportunities
for all persons who wish to join Plymouth; to provide opportunities
for caring and support of members and the community.
Major Events/Achievements in 2023-2024:
A highlight for the Board of Membership over the last year has been
hosting the new member classes, which we call Discover Plymouth.
We hosted two-day sessions in July, November, January, and April.
We also had a session in September specifically targeting people
who have come to Plymouth for a long time but had never joined.
Through all the classes before April, 27 adults joined, bringing with
them 15 children into the life of Plymouth Church. As of the time
this report was written, the April class had not concluded, so check
the bulletin on May 19 to see additional members joining then.
Many of the names of these new members can be found in other
sections of this annual report as they join boards!
The Board of Membership continues to have a volunteer at the
Welcome Desk for all regular services. We helped attendees of
services as they checked in to Church Center either at the iPad
stationed at the Welcome Desk, or by troubleshooting issues on
their personal phones. The Welcome Desk continues to be a hub
where visitors and seasoned attenders alike can ask questions
and get information about what is going on at Plymouth. We
have assisted in selling books for All Church Reads and provided
hospitality during speaker luncheons.
In August of 2023, BoM had a booth at the neighborhood party
Ingersoll Live. Representatives from our board were at the booth
to meet people and pass out literature and popsicles all afternoon
and into the evening. This is another event that the BoM will do
again in August of 2024.
2023 marked 30 years since Plymouth passed its Open and
Affirming declaration and in October BoM partnered with the
Board of Christian Social Action and other lay members to put
on a Plymouth Pridefest. We closed down Ingersoll and had food
trucks and a bounce house. Boards and committees as well as
outside organizations were invited to have tables with information
on them for attendees to learn more about what they do and how
to get involved. The Board of Children, Teens, and Families, along
with Pastor Peter and his legos, had activities inside for all ages.
BoM hosted a plated, ticketed, dinner on Maundy Thursday this
year. We continue to explore ways to utilize Church Center for
ease of purchasing tickets. The dinner was a wonderful place for
people to gather and eat before the Tenebrae service.
One new feature that the Board of Membership and the
communications team will be launching later this year is the
directory feature of Church Center. This is a way that members
can contact each other, with cyber security in mind. Plus, unlike
the traditional hard copy books, this digital option can be
updated by members as soon as their information changes. And
you can select your favorite picture of yourself to use instead
of signing up for a time to get headshots. We promise it will be
very clear who you are choosing to share your information with.
The ultimate goal of the project is to help members to deepen in
relationship with each other and to facilitate connection.
Board Members:
2023-2024
2023-2025
2023-2026
Dani Christensen
Taylor Crawley
Lorraine May
Lisa Merkle
Darin Johnson
Ruth Townsdin
Rick Hollis
Kathleen Murrin
Dave Kidder
Beth Stelle Jones
Elaine Van Dyck
Heidi Janecke
In June of 2023, the Board of Membership organized a booth at
the Capital City PrideFest. We had volunteers from the church
at our booth on Saturday, June 10 and Sunday, June 11 passing
out literature and popsicles to people in the community. We
also organized the contingent from Plymouth who walked in the
Pride parade on that Sunday afternoon. The communications
department partnered with Raygun to design new Plymouth
shirts for the event as well. This year, the Pride Festival is June 8
and 9, so watch for information to come! There will again be a
booth to pass out literature about our welcoming community and
everyone is welcome to join us walking in the Pride Parade.
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