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Our church government is by a Consistory of elected elders and deacons who work in concert with the pastor to administer to the spiritual and physical needs of our congregation.
The three offices of minister of Word and sacrament
(Pastor), elder, and deacon are brought together in consistory. As the liturgy
claims, by gathering the three offices, "the consistory
continues the full ministry of Christ in our day." This
gathering of officers is the governing body of the local
congregation and is chosen periodically from the membership of
the congregation. It has charge of all the spiritual and
temporal affairs of the church. The minister is always the
president of the consistory. Normally it meets as one body to
plan and guide the various matters relating to the welfare of
the congregation, since it is often very difficult to separate
many matters which arise into temporal or spiritual categories.
The Consistory is made up of the Pastor and two orders, the Elders and Deacons.
Consistory
Rev Stephen Eckert, President
Emily Windus, Vice-President
Danielle Burt, Clerk
Pastor
Our Pastor is Stephen Eckert. "Pastor Steve" began serving our congregation in 2003, and
his leadership has been instrumental in the continued growth of our congregational family.
Pastor Steve received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Hope College in Holland, Michigan and his
Masters of Divinity from New Brunswick Theological Seminary.
Prior to coming to South Branch Reformed Church, Pastor Steve
served the Reformed Church at Finderne in Bridgewater, NJ from 1998-2003.
Pastor Steve is also very active within the community as he
volunteers with the Hillsborough Fire Company #1 (Flagtown) as
Firefighter Chaplain, the Hillsborough Police Department as a
Chaplain, and various other organizations.
Elders
The term Elders,
sometimes called "presbytery," comes from the Greek
word "presbyteros." Elders are not ministers. But, their duty is to assist the ministers in the
guidance of the spiritual life of the congregation. Therefore, for
such matters as the admission of new members or the
administering of spiritual discipline, the elders meet as a
separate body with the minister. At all other times, they meet
with the whole body of Consistory. The currently serving
Elders are:
Charles Huck (2013)
Tyson Stramaglia (2013)
Emily Windus (2013)
Robin Friedlander (2012)
Lowell Kreeger (2012)
Joe LiBrizzi (2012)
Deacons
The other order in Consistory is that of the Deacons. The special charge of the deacons was
originally the care of the benevolences of the church, both in
the parish and beyond its bounds. Today they fulfill their
responsibilities through serving the poor, sharing mercy, and
working for justice. The currently serving Deacons are:
Robert McDonnell (2013)
Robert Rebenack (2013)
Cindy Sheridan (2013)
Danielle Burt (2012)
Irene Foley (2012)
Jim Wendover (2012)
Church Committees
In support of the Consistory, there are eight standing
committees to meet the needs of the Church and congregation.
Fellowship and Church Life - Tyson Stramaglia,
Chair
Congregational Care - Emily Windus,
Chair
Mission and Social Witness -
Jim Wendover,
Chair
Church Growth and Outreach -
Danielle Burt,
Chair
Christian Education - Cindy
Sheridan,
Chair
Administration and Finance - Lowell
Kreeger
Chair
Property - Joe Librizzi, Chair
Worship - Robin Friedlander, Chair
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