Weekly Article

I am excited to announce that the Session has approved creating a new full-time position at Derry to help us meet our ministry needs.  The Director of Church Life and Connection (DCLC) will help create fellowship opportunities for all ages and age groups within the Derry Church community and cultivate connections between church members of all ages. 

M.E. Steelman will be transitioning from her current part-time position as the children’s ministry coordinator to the Director of Church Life and Connection in January. Her new position will allow her to continue some of the great work she has been doing with the children of the church. She will continue to lead children’s fellowship in her role as the DCLC and help plan and oversee Terrific Tuesdays. She will partner with a new Associate Pastor to assist with other areas of children’s ministry like worship and education. 

M.E. will be focusing on fellowship for all ages, and part of her new duties will be to work with the Membership Involvement Committee to plan and lead our big annual fellowship events like the Corn Roast, Church Picnic, Square Dance and Chili Cookoff, and seasonal events like Trunk or Treat and the Easter Egg Hunt. She’ll also work with the committee to help re-start and reimagine a Derry Seniors program. 

As the DCLC, M.E. will be a staff resource for fellowship groups like the Derry Day Trippers, parent groups, supper clubs, the golf group, and any other fellowship groups we create in the future.  M.E. will help the church dream together about new ways to share life and connection together by age, interest, life-situation, and need.

M.E. will take the lead in many of the programmatic elements of church life and fellowship, but she will also invest in congregational connection. M.E. will help foster intergenerational relationships within the church through mission projects, retreats, and special events. She will also spend time with our senior members who are homebound or in retirement communities and work with our Membership Involvement Committee and Deacons to find new ways to keep them connected to the Derry Church community.  

M.E. has the wonderful ability to create meaningful programs and connect people to one another. She is creative, organized, and passionate about the Derry community. I am looking forward to continuing to work with her in this new role and I’m excited about the future of church life and connection at Derry.  

We will continue to share news and information about the Director of Church Life and Connection in the new year as M.E. begins her work. The Personnel Committee and Session believe this position will help fill in some needed gaps in our staff, continue areas of energy and success at Derry, and create new ministry opportunities that will make a difference in the lives of our members and the community.