Our Board

You can be sure of a welcome here! We have many groups that work together to ensure our church community is well supported and work is shared throughout the church year…

Co-Chairs

For the first two years of this new governance structure, there will be a Co-Chair from each of the two congregations. Co-Chairs are responsible for chairing the Board meetings.

Secretary

The Secretary is responsible for maintaining a record of all Board meetings and all congregational meetings. Keeping a record of attendance at these meetings is also a responsibility of the Secretary. Any notice of motions coming from Board meetings will be communicated by the Secretary to the congregation and to the Communications Team.

Treasurer

The Treasurer must be a member of the United Church of Canada (UCC) and Sydenham-Heritage congregation and is responsible for maintaining the financial records of the church. As a member of the Stewardship Team, the Treasurer will work directly with members in regards to Stewardship Education and give recommendations regarding the expenditure of monies to various projects and missions.

Ministry & Personnel Standing Committee
(4-7 positions)

This is a Standing Committee with a Chair that is a member of the Board. It acts as the “Employer” in terms of support for employees and the accountability of employees. This Committee will meet monthly. The work of this Committee consists of two primary areas:

Pastoral Relations: To work with and when necessary address issues that arise in relation to the Minister(s). Members must have good interpersonal skills and work in a confidential and respectful manner and be familiar with UCC policies and contractual requirements. Members will have training on relations with ministers and non-clergy employees from the Horseshoe Falls Regional Council.

Employee Relations: To work with and when necessary address issues that arise in relation to all paid employees of the church (office coordinator, music director, and custodian). Members are responsible for developing and updating job descriptions, conducting performance reviews, and negotiating contracts on behalf of the Official Board.

Trustees (Church Asset Management Team)

(5 Trustees and Convenor and the Minister)

The Trustees hold title and have fiduciary responsibility for all congregational assets, both real and personal, for the use and benefit of the congregation.
The convener works with the Treasurer in the preparation of financial reports for church investments and with the property team coordinator in regard to maintenance and capital projects requiring funding. The Trustee convener provides regular investment updates at Board meetings. Trustees provide a report to the congregation at the Annual General Meeting and other congregational meetings as required.
Trustees meet on an as required basis and must follow the lawful direction of the Official Board.

Spiritual

(5 Leads and 1 Co-ordinator)

The Spiritual Co-ordinator would oversee the work of this central team and would call co-ordination meetings monthly to bring together the Leads of all the teams and represent the Team at board meetings. Working groups will also meet at least monthly with the exception of the Membership Roll.

The following is a list of Working Groups that fall under the Spiritual Team:

Worship: to work with the Minister and Music Director to plan services over the course of the calendar year ensuring the regularity of worship and consistency of the time and place of worship and is responsible for the content of worship services. This team should facilitate the sacraments.

Pastoral Care: to work closely with the Minister to provide pastoral care to the members and adherents of the church.

Christian Education: to work to provide regular programming for the education of both the children of the church but also to develop adult education beyond Bible Study groups.

Youth Ministries: to provide programs and/or to plan initiatives that address the concerns and issues affecting the youth in the church and the wider community. This team will work closely with the Worship Team, the Christian Education Team and the Outreach Team and the broader community. Youth Ministry Lead would have a position on the Board.

Membership Roll: to maintain an accurate record of the membership roll of the church as required by the United Church of Canada and will meet as needed.

Stewardship

(6 Leads and 1 Co-ordinator)

The Stewardship Co-ordinator of this team will oversee the work of all working groups within Stewardship, call meetings of the Team monthly and represent the Stewardship Team at board meetings. Working groups under Stewardship will meet monthly.

Finance: to manage and to accurately maintain the financial records of the church. This team meets to discuss larger projects that the church becomes involved in as it relates to its impact on the financial well-being of the church as a whole. This team prepares the Annual Budget at the calendar year end for the following year, as well as providing recommendations to the church Board regarding financial matters.

Outreach: to work with a broader perspective of faith community with the objective of working with other organizations and individuals in the community. This team will work Open Door Breakfasts. This team will work on joint projects with Youth Ministries, Christian Education, Fundraising and the Social Teams.

Fundraising: to plan regular fundraising opportunities to be used for special projects and for the operating fund of the church. This team would work closely with other teams on a range of activities throughout the year.

Social: to plan regular activities not primarily focused on fundraising but on forming and enhancing community and fellowship within the church while enjoying the activities that are planned. This could also be co-ordinated with Outreach and Evangelism to bring in a wider group of participants.

Evangelism (Sharing the Good News): to promote the faith practices of stewardship and of the church. This team will develop faith education within and outside of the church so will work closely with Christian Education on particular projects. This group will work with other faith communities in the area.

Stewardship Education: to facilitate congregational commitments and to educate around a pledge programme in order to support the mission and vision of the church.

Communication Team

(3 members and 1 Co-ordinator)

Communication is the means by which information is shared with and received by the congregation and community. The Communication Co-ordinator will be a member of the Board and will call meetings of the Communication Team monthly. Three components of communication will be used:

Internal Communication is information submitted to the bulletin for the benefit of the congregation;

External & Advertising is information shared with the community by means of print and media. This will include the promotion of each event that is undertaken by the church;

Web & Electronic communication is the revitalization and maintenance of the church’s website. This is the means by which information is shared electronically via the Web, which includes Facebook, Twitter, email, etc.

Property Team

(3 Leads and 1 Co-ordinator)

The Co-ordinator will oversee the work of this team and represent the team at board meetings. Regular meetings of the team will be scheduled as needed by the co-ordinator and will meet once a month.

Maintenance of Assets: to work on repairing or arranging to contract work to repair the church building. To identify potential projects to improve or to maintain the integrity of the building as a public meeting space. Work closely with both Trustees and Finance Teams, and the Project Management Group.

Rental Management: to write and to administer rental agreements for the use of the church facilities. To maximize the use of the building keeping in mind the broader goals of the church mission. Work closely with the Social and Fundraising Teams as well as Finance and Worship Teams.

Project Management: to manage projects conceived and/or endorsed by the Board from tender to completion. To organize improvements that can be done ‘in-house’. To oversee projects to ensure they are proceeding as contracted or scheduled.

Nominating Committee

The Nominating Committee will consist of three members who are not members of the Board. For the first cycle beginning in January 2017, the Steering Committee will be the Nominating Committee. This Committee will stand for the quarter prior to the AGM. It is a time-limited Committee. It will nominate members for all board positions including the Team Co-ordinator positions. After the first cycle, the Nominating Committee will be nominated and voted into office at the AGM. The Nominating Committee will present names to the Board one month prior to the next AGM.