The following information will explain the structure of Pilgrim Church and the responsibilities of its boards, committees and clubs. For further information, please call the church office at 508-432-1668 to contact the group chairs or a member of the current nominating committee.

The three major boards of Pilgrim Congregational Church, UCC are the Church Council, the Board of Trustees and the Diaconate.

Church Council
The Church Council oversees the church organization as an oversight and communications vehicle between various boards and committees and the operation of the church in general. Some of its responsibilities include the review and implementation of church policy, the review of church membership lists, the organization of the Sunday coffee hour schedules and the calling of Annual and special meetings of the congregation. The Council oversees the Parish Nurse, the Mission & Outreach Committee, the Christian Education Committee, the Library Committee, the Nominating Committee, the Pastor-Parish Relations Committee, the Promotional & Publicity Committee, the Vision Committee, the Pilgrim Activities Committee, the Pastoral Search Committee (when necessary) and appoints a By-Law Committee (when needed). The Council works to make Pilgrim Congregational Church a part of the community through support of Overnights of Hospitality for the Homeless, the Scout Venturing Program, Habitat for Humanity and the Cape Cod Ecumenical Youth Ministries and also participates in the Cranberry Festival and other town celebrations. The Council is made up of the chairs of the Diaconate and the Trustees plus seven at-large members, meets monthly and is available to assist any other Board or Committee as requested.

Board of Trustees
The Trustees of Pilgrim Congregational Church are the business managers of the church and in charge of buildings and grounds, financial records, stewardship and personnel. Within the committee are sub-committees (some with additional members/volunteers) that address specific issues. The Budget Committee prepares an annual budget to be approved by the members at the Annual Meeting. The Investment Committee makes recommendations on financial endowments, gifts and investments. The Planned Giving Committee develops programs for gifts and bequests by the individual members. The Stewardship Committee manages the annual campaign for financial support, and relies on many volunteers to accomplish their program tasks. Real estate and property come under the guidance of the Building and Grounds Committee which keeps the outside grounds in good condition, and maintains the inside and outside of the buildings. This group periodically needs volunteers to help with such seasonal tasks as spreading bark mulch, edging lawns and raking autumn leaves. The Board has nine members and meets monthly. The sub-committees meet regularly as necessary. The Board also oversees the Historical and Personnel Committees.

Diaconate The Diaconate is responsible for the spiritual life of Pilgrim Congregational Church and related fellowship activities. In cooperation with the minister, the deacons are responsible for all aspects of the religious services and the administration of sacraments within the church. Their tasks include serving communion, serving as ushers during funeral/memorial services, assisting in baptisms, arranging special worship services (such as Jazz Sunday) and recruiting and training ushers and greeters. The deacons are charged with monitoring membership, prospecting and welcoming new members and providing activities related to the admission of new members. The Diaconate oversees the Altar/Flower Committee, the Care Committee, the Music Committee and the Prayer Chain. The Diaconate is composed of twelve members and meets monthly.

Church Officers

• Moderator - runs Annual and special congregational meetings
• Clerk - responsible for announcing congregational meetings and taking minutes at these meetings
• Church Treasurer
• Assistant Treasurer
• Auditor

Other committees, groups and positions include the following:

Representatives
The Church Council appoints delegates to represent the congregation at the Cape Cod Council of Churches. Other delegates represent Pilgrim Congregational Church for the United Church of Christ, through the Massachusetts Conference UCC and the Barnstable Association UCC. The Conference meets one weekend a year, in early June, and the Association meets twice annually in spring and fall, as well as occasionally during the year for ordinations or other ecclesiastical business.

Music Committee
The Music Committee, in conjunction with the Music Director, is responsible for the entire music program of the church, including special events such as the Summer Sunday Concert Series, the Pilgrim Pops Chorus Concert and the Epiphany Concert. The Chancel Choir sings at the Sunday services, as well as other occasional events, and members may rehearse on Wednesday evenings or Sunday mornings. The Bell Choir plays one Sunday a month and rehearses on Thursday evenings. Sunday School music is provided as needed. The Music Committee is made up of nine church members and meets monthly. This group also raises funds for both the church general fund and its own programs, including the Young Musician's Fund, a Cape-wide outreach program. The committee supervises the maintenance of the sanctuary organ and piano and the purchase of music and musical instruments.

Christian Education
The Christian Education Committee supervises and directs the Church School program, Pilgrim Youth Fellowship, Adult Education and related activities. It hosts a variety of functions throughout the year such as the Advent Dinner, Children's Day All-Church Picnic, Berry Best Cranberry Pancake Breakfast and Lenten programs. The committee consists of eleven members, and meets once a month. Sunday School missions include the Heifer Project, One Great Hour of Sharing, food collections, the Leprosy Project and helping sister churches in other countries.

Pilgrim Youth Fellowship - PYF
PYF is Pilgrim Church's youth group, which invites all young people in grades 5 to 8, whether church members or not, to gather on Thursday evenings from 6:00 to 7:30, October through June. Under the guidance of a staff youth director and parent volunteers, PYF is dedicated to Christian principles, good works, and fun. The group participates in family pot-luck suppers, mission projects and fellowship "field trips" and provides a chance for youth to interact with one another and their community. Friends may always invite friends, and parent volunteers are welcome.

Christian Missions & Outreach Committee
The Christian Missions and Outreach Committee is the primary group responsible for the distribution of the church's mission funds. The needs addressed by this group range from local/community to regional, national and international. Their concerns include well-established groups such as Habitat for Humanity and the United Church of Christ's "Our Church's Wider Mission," which responds to disasters world-wide, and local groups such as the Cape Cod Ecumenical Youth Ministry and lesser-known groups like the Seafarer's Friend, which ministers to seafarers in port far from their homes. The committee endeavors to involve not only the adult members of the church, but also the Sunday School children and members of Pilgrim Youth Fellowship. The committee meets at 9:00 AM on the third Sunday before worship.

Pastor-Parish Relations Committee
The purpose of the Pastor-Parish Relations Committee is to enhance the effectiveness of the ministry of Pilgrim Congregational Church. This is accomplished by encouraging a mutual respect for and the support of the Pastor and the congregation through constructive and caring communication. The committee is made up of the Pastor and three members of the congregation. Potential members are selected independently by the Church Council and the Pastor, and candidates whose names appear on both lists are nominated to serve a three-year term. The group normally meets once a month to discuss whether there are any issues on the horizon that need attention, but it can meet more frequently if the need arises.

Prayer Chain
The prayer chain is a group of dedicated Christians who have offered their time to help those in need of prayer during a critical time of medical or emotional emergency. Members of this group dedicate a regular portion of time to filling this need, and pledge to do so in a confidential manner. They do not meet as a group, but pray individually, and keep in touch by telephone.

Prayer Study Group
The Prayer Study group is a small gathering which meets to talk, laugh, pray and share concerns, as well as to discuss books of spiritual interest. Meetings are Thursdays from 4:00 to 5:30 PM.

Care Committee
The idea behind the Care Committee is that "no church member should ever have to stand alone in times of crisis or emergency." The church membership list has been divided into individual "flocks," so each church member has a "shepherd" on this committee. The most frequent service the committee performs is hosting collations - the gatherings after funerals. However, the members of the Care Committee do many other services for people in need, even something as simple as sitting and reading to a shut-in. The committee is involved in a Prayer Shawl Ministry, knitting prayer shawls and baptismal shawls and a Transportation Ministry to organize rides for members to doctor's appointments. The committee also donates monthly food donations to a local family pantry. In addition to its regular "shepherds," the committee also has associate members who do not have a "flock" but who are available to step in with assistance when needed, for instance, baking or serving for a collation. The committee meets once a month, at 9:30 AM on the 2nd Thursday.

Altar/Flower Committee
This committee is responsible to assure that the weekly altar flowers, candles, antependia and sanctuary plants continue to reflect the beauty of the sanctuary and the seasonal Christian calendar. They organize the scheduled donations of flower arrangements from church members, arrange special decorations for Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, take responsibility for assembling the Chrismon Tree and oversee the delivery of arrangements after worship services.

Library Committee
This committee manages Pilgrim Church's own Snow Library. Through donations by Pilgrim Women's Fellowship and church members and friends, the committee purchases books, organizes the bookshelves, coordinates the "check-in, check-out" process and evaluates and distributes old books. They seek purchase suggestions from the congregation and strive to have available a diverse collection of materials and books - non-fiction from biographies to history, literature and fiction, mystery, thrillers, romance, best sellers, art & photography books, Cape Cod books, health and wellness books, spiritual and inspirational books, books on audio and more. They also have many selections in large print editions.

Overnights of Hospitality Program for the Homeless
Every seven weeks, Pilgrim Church hosts an overnight for men and an overnight for women as part of the Cape-wide Overnights of Hospitality Program. These are the carefully screened men and women who are the over-flow from the Noah Shelter in Hyannis, which hosts approximately 60 homeless persons every night. For each overnight, a minimum of twelve volunteers are needed: two to stay with the homeless men and women overnight at church, some to drive them to and from Hyannis, others to provide food, snacks and breakfast and wash sheets. (Local businesses regularly donate food.) Volunteers are always welcome and needed and can help in any capacity. Monetary donations are accepted from members and friends for the purchase of toiletries, socks, underwear, shoes and other necessities for these men and women.

Historical Committee
The purpose of the Historical Committee of Pilgrim Congregational Church is to preserve the church's on-going history by maintaining and organizing vital records, documents and significant materials. This process enables the committee to utilize these records to answer questions and provide information needed by individuals and other committees. The committee submits an article in each edition of Pilgrim's Progress related to the history of Pilgrim Congregational Church and is under the auspices of the Board of Trustees.

Promotional & Publicity Committee
This committee communicates information concerning the worship life, educational programs, mission work and cultural and social opportunities of Pilgrim Congregational Church fellowship. For the past several years, this communication has included outside signage for church events, paid advertisements in periodicals, radio ads, the preparation of brochures and leaflets, the posting of church events with local web sites and the Harwich Chamber of Commerce and the submission of press releases to the media. An annual "publicity event guide" is updated, "published" and distributed to other committees involved with event publicity. The committee manages the church's web site and sends out e-mail subscriber bulletins on a regular basis. The committee also maintains a liaison with the Barnstable UCC Association in regards to publicity. The full committee meets a few times a year and keeps in touch electronically the rest of the time.

Personnel Committee
The Personnel Committee conducts annual reviews and evaluations of the staff and minister in a confidential manner, oversees position descriptions and presents salary recommendations to the Board of Trustees. The committee consists of three members, one each from the Trustees, the Diaconate and the Church Council, and comes under the direction and guidance of the Board of Trustees.

Vision Committee
Under the auspices of the Church Council, this committee strives to guide church planning and decision making by implementing the church's vision and priority needs. Each year, they ask all board and committee members to identify new objectives and initiatives in accordance with Pilgrim Church's Vision Statement and priority areas of "Joyful Worship, Christian Education for All, Outreach and Joyful Giving" to promote internal communication and church unity.

Pilgrim Women's Fellowship - PWF
Pilgrim Women's Fellowship is the name given to this group of women organized to unite the women of the parish and community in a program of fellowship, worship, education and service. At meetings held on the third Wednesday of every month from September through May, there is a light lunch, a short business meeting and a program, which may be entertaining, inspirational or educational. Through fundraising and volunteerism, PWF strives to support the programs of Pilgrim Congregational Church.

Men's Club
Pilgrim Men's Club is an informal group that provides the men of the church with an opportunity to meet socially and participate in a variety of projects for the benefit of the church. They raise funds, primarily through weekly pancake breakfasts on summer Saturdays, and they periodically undertake certain maintenance chores around the church as appropriate to their skills.

Pilgrim Activity Committee
The PAC group, under the guidance of the Council, generates new fundraising ideas and maintains on-going fund-raising projects. This is as simple as one person selling tickets for the Simon Mall of Giving in November during coffee hour to the more involved tasks of many hands preparing and selling food items during Harwich Port town celebrations, such as the summer Wednesday musical strolls.

In Home Dining
This group provides church members with an opportunity to meet one another in the comfort and informality of private homes. Rotating the job of being host, small groups get together in different homes every six to eight weeks for dinner. The host provides the main course and guests bring an appetizer, salad or dessert as assigned.

Special Committees
From time to time, a committee will form for a special purpose and specific length of time. Examples are the Auction Committee, the Photo/Directory Committee and the Capital Fund Campaign Committee.

Nominating Committee
The Nominating committee is responsible for nominating people to fill positions on the various boards and committees, striving to find the right person whose gifts best fit the needs of the church. If you are interested in serving on a particular board or committee, please contact a member of this group or contact the church office at 508-432-1668 to speak with a representative of the committee.