Committees, Board, and Council

It takes a large number of volunteers to help run an organization as large and active as First Parish Church of Stow & Acton! Getting involved on a committee is a good way to "get your feet wet" participating in our church's life. Our Board and Council are elected democratically by the members of the congregation to oversee our operations. It is hard work but very fulfilling. Won't you help?

Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees is made up of nine Elected Members, led by our President, and including the Vice President, Treasurer, Clerk, and Minister. The Board is responsible for the general health and well being of the congregation and the functioning of the church. They meet on the second Thursday of each month in the church. Meetings are open to the church community.

See the Members & Friends Area for the Board of Trustees Meeting Summaries.

Current Officers, 2017-18

  • Lynda Layer, President
  • Mark Koenig, Vice President
  • Helen Jones, Clerk
  • Lee Cooprider, Treasurer
  • Board Members: Chris Lang, Ilene Rudman, Ann Sadler, Margaret Tucker, Carolyn Zettler

Bylaws. See the bylaws for rules of the church operations, and duties of elected positions.

Committees

The following committees welcome new members, any time! See the bylaws for general committee descriptions. Contact the chair for questions; the church directory, available at the church office, has a listing of each committee chair and their contact information. You can also look up the chair's contact information online in the Members & Friends Area. Chairs serve one or more years after election at the annual meeting in May.

Committee

Current chair(s) 2017-2018

Activities

Adult Programs

Hector Constantzos

Arranges adult educational programs such as classes, lectures and discussion groups.
Archives Wanda Null, Liz Moseley, Mary Whetherbee Responsible for the identification, retention, and maintenance of the archive collection, which consists of permanent records describing the history and functioning of the church. 

Buildings and Grounds

Bill Froberg

Handles care of the church buildings and grounds.

Communications

Rebecca MacNeill

Oversees communications within and outside the congregation including the website, electronic communications, church member/vistor database, and newsgroup moderation.

Denominational Affairs

Elizabeth Drake, Ingrid Holcomb

Is the point of contact with the UUA, the district organization, other UU churches and related organizations.

Facilities

OPEN

Recommends the creation of, or modification to, existing policies and guidelines relative to facility usage priorites, fees, and rules of church and non-church function.

Finance

Laurie Proulx

Prepares annual budget with input, recommends financial courses of action.

Fundraising Council

 OPEN Coordinates various fundraising activities throughout the year.

Hospitality

Michele Wade, Keith Lundberg

Coordinates coffee hour.
Investment

Tom Moses

 Monitors the investment of the Endowment.

Lay Ministry / Caring Committee

Contact the Minister or office

Provides support to members of the church in need.

Membership

Hector Constantzos

Welcomes new and prospective members with the membership Development Coordinator and Minister.
Interim Ministry Marcia Rising, Katy Weeks Aids the Interim Minister in carrying out an effective ministry.

Music

Katy Weeks

Spreads the joy of music through the care of the Church's musical instruments, bringing beautiful, inspiring music to both Worship services and the greater community, and supports the Music Director.
Nominating OPEN Prepares a list of nominations for each elective office to be voted upon at the Annual Meeting.

Personnel

Brendon Chetwynd, Susan Perry, Marcia Rising, Ann Walker

Conducts annual and new employee reviews, CORI checks, recommends salary and benefit structures, and resolves issues that may arise.

Religious Education

Wiley Cordone, Deb O'Connell

Develops and coordinates religious education programming for children and youth, with the Director of Religious Education and the Youth Coordinator.
Retreat Margaret Tucker Provides communication, coordination, logistics and inspiration to make the springtime Ferry Beach retreat a reality.
Settled Minister Search Committee Sharon Brownfield The SMSC is an ad hoc committee tasked with selecting a candidate for our next Settled Minister to be voted on by the congregation. Members include Kevin O'Brien, Deb O'Connell, Troy Liston, Michael Merrill, Rebecca Stadolnik, and Jack Zettler. The committee can be reached via fpcsettledmsc@gmail.com

Social Justice Council

Donna Lang, June McKnight

Provides opportunities for every member to express, individually and collectively, concern on ethical, social, political and economic issues. 

Social Programs

Cece Braun, Aimeé Ledwell

Organizes adult and family social activities.
Stewardship OPEN Educates the congregation on how to be good stewards of our church, including the giving of our time, talent and treasure.

Worship

Ann Gillespie, Neil Sanders

Works with the minister providing support and feedback for Sunday and special services during the church year. Plans, coordinates, and oversees summer worship. 

Policies Page - Policies for various committees.

Projects and Task Forces

These are chartered by the Board of Trustees for specific jobs, and disband when complete.

Program Council

The Program Council comprises most of the elected committee chairs. Led by the Vice President, it meets 3 to 4 times throughout the church year. The meetings are open to the church community.

Moderator

The Moderator is elected for a one year term to preside at all Special Meetings and at the next Annual Meeting.

Current Moderator: Ingrid Holcomb