Worshipping
	The traditional worship service follows the UCC format for worship including the liturgy, prayers, the sermon and traditional hymns.  The traditional service is held at 9:00 a.m.
	The contemporary worship service called New Connections does not follow the traditional UCC format for worship.  Contemporary Praise and Worship songs, prayer and the sermon make up this service.  New Connections is held at 11:01 a.m.
	The traditional choir sings in the traditional service and practices on Wednesday evenings at 7:30.  They sing traditional hymns and songs.  They are led by Maxine Harborth.
	The Connections band members play guitars, drums and keyboard under the direction of Nathan Villereal, the music director of Friedens Church.  They perform contemporary Praise and Worship songs in the contemporary, New Connections service.
	The Children's Choir will be formed by Nathan Villereal, Friedens Music Director, and will be made up of children of school age, from grades ?? To ??.
	Ushers serve in the traditional service to distribute the service handouts.  They collect the offering and one of the council members serving as one of the ushers puts the monies into the drop safe in the church office.
	Greeters serve in the contemporary (New Connections) service.  They welcome visitors and members and distribute service handouts.  They collect the offering and one of them places the monies into the drop safe in the church office.
	Liturgists serve in the traditional service as readers of Scripture.  They may also participate in the reading of the call to worship and the opening prayer.
	The Sound Board technician monitors and adjusts the sound of the Connections band and singers in the contemporary (New Connections) service.
	The Multi-Media team create the Power Point slides for both the traditional and the contemporary services.  One of the members also prepares the slides for the sermon.  During both services a member of the team runs the slide show and in the contemporary service they create the taping of that service for placement on the Friedens website.
	The Drama team serves during worship services in skits that enhance the teaching of the sermon.
	The New Connections Worship Dev team will be made up of members of the various teams serving along with the pastor and the music director to plan services.  These members would include a member from Connections, from multi-media and from drama.
	Connections singers participate with the band in performing during the contemporary (New Connections) service.
	The traditional worship committee makes recommendations to the pastor for the various seasons of the church calendar.  A member of the committee changes the parchments in the sancuary to correspond to these seasons of the church.
	The New Connections Celebrations Easter Choir is a short term opportunity for the congregation to participate in the music of Easter with the Connections Band and Singers
	Learning
	Sunday school involves all persons interested in the education of the children of Friedens.  Administrator is on the Christian Education team who research and plan the materials to be used during the year.  Teachers take three month terms and serve in either the traditional or contemporary hour of education.  All children start in the service and leave for Sunday school after Pastor John has shared Children's Moments with them.
	Wednesday night Bible Study is a small group led by Pastor John and currently are studying books of the Bible.  Participants read and discuss the material with each other and Pastor John.
	Vacation Bible School is held each summer during the early evening hours.  A light dinner is served to participants.  Members can participate in the meal, the teaching, arts and crafts, music, prop creation, and picture taking.  Members do not have to have young children to participate as a helper.
	Christmas Play participants are the children in the Sunday school program and is typically led by a member of the Christian Education team.  Each year the leader needs help with the props, the costumes, the training of the actors and actresses, the music, and anything else involved such as refreshments.
	The Men's Ministry will begin in January 2010.  The plans are for Bible Study and service projects with a unstructured organization model.
	Confirmation involves assisting Pastor John in the teaching of the Bible and of the theology of the United Church of Christ.  The first year students are taught by lay persons and involves teaching the major stories of the Bible.  The second year class is led by Pastor John and relies on the foundation of the Bible stories taught in the first year and delves deeper into the theology and also includes more on the UCC itself.
	Wednesday night Cross Talk Youth Fellowship invovles leading the youth in activities and discussion of what is going on in their lives.   It involves giving them a safe and open environment to share with each other.  It is being led by the Youth director, Nathan Villereal.
	Youth Ski Trip and other Youth Events involves traveling with and participating with the youth of Friedens in events, both service and fellowship, where they can grow in relationships with each other and the church.
	Slumber Falls Summer Camp involves volunteering to serve as a counselor for a group of children.  Each camp is organized based on the ages of the children.  Slumber Falls has it own website and is owned by the United Church of Christ.  The website it www.slumberfalls.org.
	Slumber Falls Confirmation Camp involves volunteering to assist the pastor in charge of the camp - currently our Pastor John, in working with the teaching of the confirmation students attending.  Staying in the cabins with the students is also a part of the volunteer effort.
	Serving
	Serving meals at funerals is led by the Woman's Ministry Day team.  Members volunteer to bring sandwiches ( a loaf or two of bread) or other foods for the family members and others attending the services.  Members of the Women's Ministry Day team and other volunteers organize and serve the food.  Clean up of the event center is also taken care of by this group and its' volunteers.
	Habitat for Humanity is a volunteer organization that builds homes for those needing assistance in getting into their first home.  Volunteers participate in all facets in the building of the home.  The local Seguin Habitat for Humanity group build each Saturday from 8:30 or so until noon or a little thereafter.  The group also needs volunteers to prepare a meal for the building teams each Saturday.  The Seguin group has built 13 or 14 homes, one per year.  Volunteers must be 18 to operate power tools.  Younger volunteers must have a signed waiver on file and it is recommended that they be a part of a group or occumpianed by an adult.
	Making cookies for prison ministry involves preparing cookies - usually chocolate chip - for the Kairos prison ministry teams.  In prison ministry, women can only visit the women and men can only visit the men, cookies and prayers can be by either men or women.
	The Church World Service CROP walk is an annual walk to raise funds for the hungry.  A portion of the monies raised goes to local food banks and the rest goes to a national/international feeding of the hungry.
	The World Hunger Dinner is a congregational event hosted by members who select countries and make and serve dishes from that country.  Members and Guests make donations to the countries whose food they enjoy.  At the end of the dinner a country is named the winner based on the money collected.  All proceeds go into the Outreach fund for World Hunger.
	Serving on the Outreach team involves participating in the group who selects groups in the community and through out the world to reach out to and help.  A budget is set for some of the items needed and other fund raising events are planned for others.  Some current groups are Guadalupe County Child Protective Services and The Christian Cupboard of Guadalupe County.
	Serving on the Stephens Ministry team involves participating in training to become a Stephens minister.  These members serve other members who need someone to talk with them and help them through some form of crisis in their lives.
	Serving in the Puppet Ministry involves learning the material prepared by the leader of this ministry to teach then children of Friedens and others, such as the elderly in the nursing homes, about the love of Jesus Christ.
	Serving on the Evangelism team involves participating in the group who plans events and communications to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others and bring them into our church.
	Serving on the Assimilation team involves participating in the group who plans events and communications to bring new members into the fold of the Friedens family.  This group will work with Pastor John and the new member mentors that he has assigned to them for the first ?? months of their membership.
	Serving on the Church Council involves being elected by the congregation to serve a three year term.  The council makes administrative decisions for the church.  They meet on the third Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the church.
	Serving on the Memorial Committee involves volunteering to serve with the team that makes decisions on what to purchase with the monies donated in memory of members who have passed from this life to the next.
	Volunteering at the EATS Foundation, which is a food bank in Seguin, involves volunteering your time serving others in the community who have qualified for food assistance.
	Serving on the Christian Education team involves participating with the group who researches and plans the curriculum for the Sunday School,  Vacation Bible School and the Christmas Play for the children of Friedens.  They meet the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m.
	Slumber Falls Volunteers for work weekends involves volunteering to go to Slumber Falls to participate with other volunteers on maintenance projects for the camp.
	Connections/Fellowship
	The Hospitality team serves refreshments after the traditional and before, during and after the contemporary services.
	The Food for Fellowship small group meets on a monthly basis in groups of eight to enjoy a meal and fellowship together.  The groups rotate each month so that different folks enjoy fellowship together each month.  Every three months the group opens for new members to join.
	A Couples Retreat weekend will be planned for fellowship and study away from the stresses of the day.
	A Women's Retreat weekend will be planned for fellowship and study away from the stresses of the day.  In the past these retreats have been held at Slumber Falls Camp, but other locations have been discussed.  Food, music, arts and crafts and fellowship make up these refreshing and enjoyable fellowship.
	The Christmas Tea is a wonderful fellowship where members reserve tables that they decorate with Christmas decorations and special dishes.  A catered meal, tea and entertainment are shared by all.
	The Bowling Fellowship is a planned event at a local 9 pin bowling alley.  Members form teams and refreshments are shared.  A good time of fellowship is shared by all.
	The Church Festival is a yearly event, now planned for the Spring timeframe, that includes a traditional sausage dinner, entertainment, German koolaid (beer), games, and an auction.  All funds made are put into the general fund for expenses of the church.
	Ballroom and Square Dancing lessons and fellowship are shared on Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m. in the Event Center.  A local dance group allows our members to attend for free.  Fellowship and a learning experience in dance are shared.
	Mentoring new members is an opportunity for fellowship with the newest members of the Friedens family.  Mentors are available to their new member families for questions and guidance on activities and opportunities to serve in the church.
	The Women's Ministry Day group is made up of women who have retired and can meet during the day.  This group organizes the food shared during funerals.  They have speakers at each meeting and have both service and fellowship projects planned each year.  They meet the 2nd Thursday of each month at 2:00 p.m.
	The Women's Ministry Evening group will be formed to allow women who work outside of the home and those with smaller children to meet in the evening for fellowship and study.
	The Peace Activities group, formally known as Senior Games, is a group that meets the second Tuesday of each month from 2-4 p.m. (followed by refreshments)to share games and refreshments. Dominoes and card games are shared by those attending.
	The Thanksgiving Dinner is shared by the congregation the Sunday before Thanksgiving.  The dinner is catered by a local caterer with some of the sides contributed by members.  Desserts are also shared by the members.  This is a big fellowship event for our church.
	Helping with the New Partner barbeque involves attending and participating in the meal that Pastor John and Renee offer to those interested in finding out more about our church family.  A meal is shared and Pastor John shares the basic beliefs of our church.  Those helping share their stories of faith at Friedens.  A good time of fellowship is shared.
	The Christian Family Life team involves participating with the group that plans fellowship and celebration events for the church family.  Events such as the Veterans of the Cross (our 50 year church members) as well as the Church picnic (held in September) are examples of events they plan.
	GIving
	The Capital Campaign is a major project planned and voted on by the church to allocate funds to improve the campus of the church.  The current 2009 Campaign is the first in thirty or so years.  Capital Campaigns do not occur each year, but they should occur more often than every 30 years in order to keep facilities up to date.
	Special Offerings are gathered for special events or outreach efforts.
	Estate giving is available for those who wish to leave assets to the church when they pass from this life to the next.
	Electronic giving is available to allow members to set up an automatic deposit to the church on a recurring basis.  Once set up the member does not have to worry about their regular giving unless they wish to change their amount.
	Regular giving is available is each of the services.  An time of offering is celebrated in each service to allow members to share their bleesings from God with the church.
	Bringing food for the Christian Cupboard of Guadalupe county allows member to bring cereal, soup, and canned fruit for this food bank.  We have been designated to supply these food needs along with any other canned foods or staples member wish to contribute.  Monetary gifts can also be made.
	Bringing items for the Rainbow Room (resource room) of the Guadalupe county Child Protective Services allows members to contribute items that the staff from Child Protective Services need to supply to the families that they serve.  The goal of CPS is to keep families together whenever possible.  Resources such as clothing, diapers, blankets, cleaning supplies, hygiene items and even toys are needed.  We work with CPS on their needs and present a short list to members via multi-media.