Board of Membership

As I mentioned in last year’s letter for the Annual Report, the mission of the New Member/Hospitality Committee is to welcome visitors to AHCC on a weekly basis and to hopefully nurture them to the point of becoming fully engaged, participating and active new members in the spiritual and financial life of Asylum Hill Congregational Church.

Each year, through attrition, approximately 100 members go off our active church roles due to relocations, retirements, deaths or other reasons which end their active involvement in AHCC. Consequently, we need to add approximately 100-125 new members each year if we are to continue growing as a church and to retain the same level of financial resources for budget purposes since some of those leaving are long term members and significant donors each year.

I am pleased to tell you that the process we have in place works: New Member results for the past two years have been: 2006-108 and 2007-110 (including 36 Confirmands!). We have been able to sustain our desired membership levels. As you may recall from last years’ report the format we follow is:

•             Each visiting person who signs the Fellowship Pad will receive a telephone call of “welcome” from a Committee Member. (These names are sent to me each week by Mary Way and Denise Doran in the church office - thank you, ladies!)

•             Also, when a visitor goes into Drew Hall after the service, we have people stationed at the Hospitality Table to give them a free bag of popcorn, plus other information on the Church so they will “pop on back” to AHCC soon!

•             After the welcome call they will receive a follow-up letter with basic information about the church, available opportunities and info on the process for joining.

•             Five times during the “church year” (September-June) we hold New Member Classes. Firstly, a Forum is held about 2-3 weeks before the class for those looking for an overview of AHCC. Secondly, an Orientation is held on Saturday morning preceding the Sunday they join. Present at the Orientation are AHCC staff and Lay Leadership (Moderator or Vice Moderator plus a New Member Committee Representative) to discuss their roles within the church. We thoroughly review the Statement of Faith, the Covenant, and now the Inclusiveness Statement, so our new members are fully informed about who we are and what we believe.  We also ask them to complete an Interest Form so we may match their skills and interests with possible future volunteer opportunities in the church. Starting this year, we will begin having each new members’ sponsor follow up with them after six months to make sure they have been able to find an area of church with opportunities best suited for them. This will get them involved and feel they “belong.”

•             Finally, the class joins during the 10:15 a.m. service the week after the Orientation, followed by a Brunch put on by the Brunch Bunch, namely, Peg Winters, Carol Klein, flowers by Peg Lorence and several other supporting cast members. (Thank you, ladies!!) A continuing highlight of the Brunch is Peter Grandy teaching our new members the AHCC “fight song”!

Without the ongoing support of Fredd Ward and his staff support, Dianne and Ty Butlers’ oversight of the Hospitality Committee, and the dedicated ladies of the Brunch Committee, we would not be as successful as we have been.  We are ALL Ambassadors of AHCC, so remember, if you see a blue nametag, please introduce yourself and talk about what a “special spiritual place” AHCC is! Thank you.    

Respectfully submitted,

Thomas R. Trumble, Chair