MinistrIES, MissionS, & Service Opportunities
A brief description of all the ministries, missions, and service opportunities in our church.
Beautification Committee
Oddly enough, first impressions are important. Sometimes, this is the only chance you get to make an impression. This committee seeks to ensure that our facility and its surroundings look well-maintained and are aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Whether planting trees and flowers or working with the Trustees to ensure that painted surfaces look bright, the bushes stay manicured, and the mulch beds are weeded and refreshed. We do all this out of love for the Lord and His house. We want the church to look welcoming and inviting to all who come near. If you have a green thumb, or have ideas for new ways to make the church and its surrounding grounds look better, consider joining this committee today.
Bereavement & Care Committee
Hard times come to everyone. Whether it be the loss of a loved one, a difficult medical procedure, or convalescing at home, it’s nice to know you have support. The Bereavement and Care Committee is the first line of defense when our church members need support. Baptists are known for loving people with food, which is exactly this committee’s philosophy. They prepare meals for families and take them to their homes, prepare meals for funerals, and ensure flowers or gift baskets reach those who need encouragement. This committee is also beginning even more services to help those in times of grief and loss. If this is your passion or strong suit, see the chairperson today!
Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees at Ross Grove has been designated to look after the physical church, such as heating, air conditioning, ventilation, lighting, cleaning, and maintenance. They ensure the church is well maintained, insured, clean, safe, and as physically appealing as reasonably possible. They also conduct research and take comments from church members when it comes to adding or removing features of the physical church. Currently, they oversee the contracting of janitorial and landscaping companies. They work with other committees to look after the entire church property that God has blessed us with. When something breaks, the Trustees work to get it fixed as soon as possible. The current term of a Trustee, like that of a Deacon, is three years. Potential candidates must have been church members for at least a year, have some experience that would aid them in the duties of being a trustee, and be willing to fill the entire term. The way it is set up, there are six trustees, with one-third rotating off this committee each year. And those that rotate off must wait a year to serve again. This work is crucial to the health of the church. If you have a desire and experience to serve in this capacity, please see the Nominating Committee.
Cemetery Committee
The Cemetery Committee assists church members and their families with burial arrangements within the church cemetery. They serve on a three-year rotation to foster continuity and shared knowledge of cemetery operations. Specific duties include helping with gravesite selection, coordinating burial arrangements with the funeral home and grave preparation, as well as overseeing the placement and maintenance of monuments. They are also responsible for supervising lawn care maintenance and keeping the grounds neat, so families have a beautiful and safe place to grieve. Serving on this committee also allows members to minister love and compassion to others during an emotional and stressful time. If you would like to serve on this committee, please see a member of the Nominating Committee.
Constitution Committee
Constitutions are slow-evolving documents—meaning that changes are not often made, and for a good reason. Even still, there are moments in time when the founding document of our church has had to be updated to reflect the times we live in. The Constitution Committee is a standing committee that only meets when the need arises. At the very least, this committee is responsible for knowing the document well and ensuring that other committees stay true to it. If you are a details person or want to ensure that our church lasts long into the future, then this committee is right for you.
Food & Fellowship Committee
At Ross Grove, we believe that one of the ways we grow as a church is through our times of fellowship together. These opportunities give us time to get to know each other and share encouragement and support as we follow Christ through His church. We have weekly fellowship meals on Wednesday evenings from 5 - 6:00 pm during the school year. Our meals vary from week to week, from a balanced hot meal to a more simple meal of pizza, hotdogs, or a potato bar. The first Wednesday of the month is birthday night! Each person with a birthday that month can put their name in a drawing for a special birthday gift. Meals are reasonably priced for school-aged children through adults, free for preschoolers and those over 85. We also provide meals to our shut-ins free of charge and deliver them each week as a ministry. To make a reservation, you can visit us online at rossgrove.org/mealrsvp. You can also fill out the orange slip in the back of the pews in the sanctuary and place it in the offering plate or turn it into the church office on Sundays before. You can also call the church voicemail before Monday morning and leave your reservation on the church voicemail.
Other Opportunities for Service: Each week, we have teams of folks to help with clean up after the fellowship meal. These teams serve one Wednesday per month – helping clean the kitchen, wipe tables, and sweep the floor. Please let a staff member know if you would be willing to serve in this ministry. Also, you may be interested in assisting with delivering meals to our shut-in members. Meals are ready for delivery by 4:30 pm and can be picked up and delivered at that time.
Other Times of Fellowship: Throughout the year, we enjoy a variety of fellowships, gatherings, and other special occasions. Friday Night Fellowships usually take place outside in the spring and fall, around our fire pit, and include some opportunities for games, recreation, and fun. In the summers, we also do special gatherings on Wednesday evenings, sometimes with Bible trivia or softball games. Watch the calendar for these events and listen for announcements. There is always room for more helping hands at these events. If you want to help, please see this group’s director.
Greetings & Ushers Ministry
Those in this ministry must be outgoing and love meeting new people. As a greeter, you’re the first person a new visitor meets. So, you must be timely with an easily accessible smile and warm demeanor. Imagine you are a frontline representative who makes someone feel loved and welcomed into our church. People come from all walks of life, and while most come to church dressed their very best, inside could be a hurting or suffering person who needs to feel the love of the Lord. The greeter’s work is vital to sharing the love of God in our church. Similarly, an usher helps folks to their seats, orients new visitors to the facilities should they need them, and helps take up the tithes and offerings during giving. If you can help us with this ministry, please see a member of the Nominating Committee.
Historical Committee
The work of the Historical Committee concerns three primary activities: 1) collecting and safeguarding all records that can be found in a designated area; 2) making sure that the church makes and keeps adequate records of its current progress, and 3) helps ensure all members appreciate their church through understanding its past. This committee’s work becomes even more visible during special occasions such as Homecoming, Memorial Day, and other important times when sharing the history of the church inspires the work we do today! If you are a history buff or enjoy sifting through the past, this committee is right for you!
Hospitality Ministry
According to an online definition of hospitality, it is “the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors or strangers.” At Ross Grove, we want our new members to feel like we have been friends and generously care for and value each person. Each new-member family will receive a welcome bag. In the bag will be a packet of information about our church. The packet will include a welcome letter from the Pastor and more information to help them get acquainted with the church. They also receive a book called “I Am a Church Member” and several other gifts. The hospitality ministry gives these bags to new members, takes their pictures, and interviews them to get to know them better via email or text to be used for the monthly newsletter. They will offer to show new members around the church so they can get their bearing and feel more comfortable. We aim to make our new members feel that this is where they want to “hang their spiritual hats,” as Pastor Marcus would say. If you enjoy getting to know new people or genuinely want others to feel as welcome as you have been, join this ministry today!
Nominating Committee
Every fall, the Deacons appoint the first three members of the Nominating Committee-they then serve as chairperson, vice-chairperson, and secretary. Then the appointed gather to pick three more members for their committee: the Sunday School Director, the Women’s Ministry Director, and the Brotherhood Director. Then that committee of six meets throughout the summer to pray and study the church’s membership and volunteer needs. Their goal is to match church members who want to give their time to God’s work at Ross Grove with available appropriate positions. Once they compile their annual Nominating Report, they present that list of volunteer names to the congregation at our End-of-church-Year Meeting for approval. Once their work is completed, the only other time they need to meet is if any vacancies need to be filled. We should either serve on the Nominating Committee or work with them to find where we can serve in the larger church. This is vital to the success of the mission God has given all of us.
Parking Assistance Ministry
The Parking Ministry seeks to help senior adults and those with limited ability get into church more easily. Whether by simply opening a car door, holding an umbrella on a rainy day, or parking a car, this ministry is the first line of defense when making folks feel welcomed and wanted in our church. If you can help this group, please see the Parking Ministry Coordinator or call the church Office.
Recreation Committee
Our church has had several different sports teams and other church-wide activities over the years that fall under the purview of this committee. We have had church-league softball teams (both men and co-ed youth) and church-league youth basketball teams. At Ross Grove, we also get the church family together in the summer for casual softball games, cornhole tournaments, pickle ball, horseshoe tournaments, and more when the weather cooperates. We’ve even had the occasional watermelon seed-spitting competition! It is an understatement to say that things get competitive, but it is all in good fun. While good Bible teaching and worship are central to our faith, fellowship is also vital, and that’s what happens when we gather to have fun. We would love to have you join us for these church-family activities! Also, we are always open to any new ideas you may have for activities to be enjoyed by our Ross Grove Baptist family in the future. Perhaps you may even wish to serve with us on this committee!
Sanctuary & Altar Committee (Flowers & Decorations)
This committee works hard to ensure that the sanctuary is beautifully decorated each Sunday and for special seasons and occasions. They hang the appropriate banners and place candles in the sanctuary throughout the year to enrich our worship. They stage flowers in the baptistry in honor or memory of individuals. They also coordinate ordering flowers at special times, such as palms and lilies at Easter and poinsettias at Christmas. Speaking of Christmas, they do their best work then. Hallmark has nothing on their decorating at Christmas. It takes a lot to keep our church looking so good, and if this is your area of expertise, feel free to join this committee by calling the chairperson of the Nominating Committee at your earliest convenience. If you would like to place fresh flowers in honor or memory of a loved one for a particular Sunday, see Sanctuary & Altar, committee person.
Shut-in Ministry
The Shut-in Ministry seeks to meet the needs of the elderly and others who cannot attend church in person. Sometimes church members are placed on this list temporarily due to a brief illness or after a medical procedure, and sometimes they stay on this list until the Lord calls them home. Many are still living in their own home, while some live in nursing homes or care facilities. Members of this committee and their volunteers try to make weekly visits to these members. During visits, shut-in members may give their prayer needs to the volunteers to carry back to the Pastor, spend time talking with the shut-ins, and offer them their support regularly. It means so much for shut-ins to have this connection, but most of our volunteers report that they are the ones being blessed by these visits. The wisdom, funny stories, and historical memories they possess are a treasure to our church. The Pastor, in conjunction with this committee, offers communion and pastoral care regularly. Each Wednesday night, this committee delivers meals to the shut-ins living at home who request them. Shut-ins are able to receive bulletins, newsletters, and other literature so that they can stay connected to our church. We also work with their families to set them up with the church’s Sunday Morning Worship live broadcast, where possible. If you would like to be a part of the Shut-in Ministry team, let the chairperson or the Nominating Committee know. They’d love to have you!
Stewardship & Finance Committee
This committee primarily consists of ex-officio members of other committees (generally the chairperson) and those in designated positions. The committee is responsible for the general stewardship of the church—acting on behalf of members in the managing, protecting, and overseeing of the financial affairs of the church. Specific duties include recommending an annual budget, guiding various organizations and committees in keeping within allocated expenditures, and determining and supervising the counting procedures of all church monies. This committee meets once per quarter prior to the regularly scheduled church Conference unless otherwise warranted. The Stewardship and Finance Committee also relies on several sub-branches that help keep the finances of the church running smoothly. RGBC requires the services of a Recording Financial Secretary and their assistant. Their responsibilities include maintaining a secure and private record of tithes and offerings. They record all gifts, giving each donor individual credit as suggested by the Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. They are also required to maintain offering envelopes of all contributions coming into the church treasurer every week. Their work ensures that our church meets all current financial transparency guidelines while keeping donors’ information private and secure. If you have business or finance expertise or are a regular giver to our church, please see the Nominating Committee if you would like to serve in this area. Be advised that you need to have been a church member in good standing for a year, pass a background check, and be willing to be bonded at the church’s expense.
Vacation Bible School
Vacation Bible School is a community outreach event usually held on the last Saturday of June each summer. Planning for VBS usually begins in February by choosing the theme and lessons for that year. There are many moving parts when it comes to planning this event. We always need volunteers for promotion, photography, refreshments, set up, clean up, crafts, music, missions, small groups, recreation, decorations, registration, etc. We always strive to make the current year’s VBS better than the last. Every song, game, and craft has a teaching moment behind it. Each station the children attend will leave them with a story of Jesus. When children attend our event, we want them to leave knowing that they are loved by Jesus and the people of Ross Grove. If you feel led to help, we need you; please see the Vacation Bible School Director.
Worship Technology (Audio/Visual Ministry)
Worship technology ties in 3 main aspects of the worship service; audio, visual, and camerawork. As we all know, the worship service is a key component in reaching our members and community. This is where they get to see the church’s close-knit family atmosphere. Believe it or not, there are a lot of things that go into getting the service ready to go. Worship tech has a huge role in the behind-the-scenes work that volunteers can be involved in. First, the audio ministry is where the sound in the room for sermons, songs, scripture readings, prayers, etc., is tuned to make sure no matter where someone is in the congregation; they are able to hear what is happening. If anyone would like to learn more about audio, reach out to Greg Gantt. Visual ministry is coming up on a year in September of going live. There is a lot of prep work that goes into each service, but it is a rewarding effort when someone benefits from a visual that connects with another component of the service. The visual ministry is growing as more of our announcements are being played weekly, keeping members and visitors in the know. We would love to add people both to run the slides in service and learn how to input and operate the content that goes into services. For more info, see Thomas Hutton. The last component of worship tech is the camera. As you can imagine, this became more relevant when we couldn’t get out. It is clear that it can be a blessing for those who may be away or cannot be with us physically, like the Ross Grove Shut-In family. The camera operator can record services and ensure the people tuning in get the full scope of service so they do not miss out on what the Lord may have to say to them. If you would like to be a part of this three-pronged ministry, please see the Nominating Committee.
Outreach Ministries & Mission Projects
Each year we do several exciting mission projects or outreach ministries. In the fall, we do the Pumpkin Patch Project. Nearly a thousand pumpkins will be delivered from New Mexico in early October. We sell them to individuals and families out in the front yard of the church. We get to meet people and talk to them about Jesus. All the profit goes toward a designated mission of the church. At the end of October, sometime around Halloween, we have over 800 people come through for our annual Trunk-or-Treat event. church members donate the candy and decorate their trunks and themselves. We give them information about our church and a safe place to bring their children. In December, the men of the church built the “Little Town of Bethlehem” for the “Living Christmas Story”—an outdoor drive-through Christmas pageant. Each year, church members dress up as biblical characters; we also bring in live animals like camels, sheep, and donkeys. Guests receive refreshments and a small ornament. In the spring, our church promotes Holy Week, a themed week leading up to Easter. A lot is going on that particular week, but one of the outreaches we do during that time is an Easter Egg Hunt for the community’s children. We even tried to have an Easter Egg drop from a hot air balloon one year (of course the weather did not cooperate). Throughout the year, we do backpack drives and blood donation drives, we collect toys, school supplies, necessities for the homeless, and anything we can think of to help our community and the larger world. There is always something going on at Ross Grove. As you can imagine, it takes a lot of people working behind the scenes to make these events happen in order to promote our church and the Gospel of Jesus Christ—we would love to have your help, and we know God will bless you for it!
