Presbyterian Church leadership consists of groups of Elders and Deacons, each of whom serve for three years, but are ordained for life. The governing body of the church, known as the Session, consists of currently serving Elders and the Ministers, also known as teaching Elders. Member care within the church is performed by Deacons, who share in the compassionate area of ministry.  All areas of Church life fall under the responsibility of a Committee, led by one or more Elders, and are supported by volunteer church members who have relevant training or have a special interest in that area of ministry.

Want to get involved but are unsure of what a particular committee or group does?

No matter what your talent or area of interest… No matter how much time you have available…We have a place for you to get involved at FPCP. There are a wide variety of programs, committees and roles that are available to meet a broad range of skills, talents, and abilities.

We encourage you to sit in on a committee meeting to learn a little more about that committee and its related ministry programs.  To get more information about specific meeting dates and times, feel free to email or call the contact person(s) listed.  We’d love to have you get involved.  Involvement establishes and strengthens bonds with your church family, allows you to become more connected to your faith, and offers many ways to serve God and reach out to spread the Word to your community and the world.

To contact a committee’s leadership, contact the chair or one of the elders listed within each Committee description.  Contact information may be found via the church’s member directory.

Committee: Clerk of Session

Elder:
Sandy Dodge

  • The Clerk of Session is the elder responsible for maintaining the minutes of Session meetings and all of the church’s ledgers of membership, births, baptisms, deaths, and elders.

Committee: Building & Grounds

Elders:
Kyle Medaugh (Chair)
Steve Marulis
Jim Ladley

  • The Building and Grounds Committee is an all-volunteer group responsible for maintaining the grounds and building of the Church.
  • They provide an environment that is conducive to carrying out the ministerial and mission objectives of the congregation.
  • Volunteers meet on Wednesday mornings at the church to work on projects & repairs throughout the church. 

If you’re handy with construction (any skill level, any discipline), please contact one of the Elders to find out how you can participate.

Committee: Christian Nurture

Elders:
Dana Hearn (Chair)
Doug Kee
Anne Davidson

  • Our Mission is to help children develop their Christian Faith with the help of our Directors, committee members, parents, volunteers and congregation.
  • Christian Nurture programs at FPCP are designed with everyone in mind.  For children, we offer Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and KidMin (midweek ministry for grades K-3) and Club 45 (midweek ministry for grade 4 & 5). Confirmation Class is available for 8th grade students. Middle School students meet on Wednesday evenings, as well as on Sunday mornings, and High School students meet on Sunday mornings and at noon on Sundays for Bible study and fellowship. College-age ministry is coming soon for those between the ages of 18 & 25.
  • There are many ongoing children’s and youth mission opportunities.
  • The Christian Nurture Committee works with the direct guidance of our two Directors, Darlene Maginley (Director of Children’s Ministries, PreK-5th grade) and Mark Hovermale (Pastor for Youth and Early Adults).

To become involved, please contact one of the Elders.

Committee: Board of Deacons

Leadership:
Rich Rej (Chair)

  • The role of the Board of Deacons is to demonstrate God’s love for His people, and focuses on compassion for and ministry to our church family.
  • The Deacons are a body of eighteen members who serve staggered 3-year terms as they fulfill the many activities of this committee.
  • This is done through member care and assistance in worship, and through engaging in service to the Plymouth community and God’s world.
  • Deacons serve in many ways, including working with charities, attending to those in need, and supporting the mission of FPCP.

If you would like to learn more about being a Deacon or about what the Deacons do, please contact one of the leaders.

Committee: Finance

Elders:
Todd Underhill (Chair)
Dan Cronin
Brian Puckett

  • The Finance Committee’s primary responsibility is to prepare and present an annual budget to the session. 
  • They also oversee and manage the church finances, including the Endowment fund. 
  • They support Capital Improvement Planning efforts with funding strategies and longer term operating budgets.

If you have a finance or investment background, please contact one of the elders to find out how you can participate. 

Committee: Human Resources

Elders:
Neil Sendelbach (Chair)
Tom Weaver

  • The Human Resource Committee is responsible for creating hiring and staff review policies, budgets for staff, researching benefits for staff, and reviewing and maintaining a Human Resources Handbook.
  • The HR Committee also assists staff to effectively serve the various church family needs.

If you have a Human Resource background, and are interested in joining the committee, please contact one of the elders.

Committee: Local Mission

Elders:
Kim Heldmeyer (Chair)
Connie Adams
Val McKinley

  • The Local Mission Committee focuses on spreading the Good News of Christ’s saving grace and love for all people by reaching out to those in need within the Detroit Presbytery, by meeting the basic needs of food, clothing, medical care, and shelter within this community and the greater Detroit Presbytery.
  • This committee supports various organizations including: the FPCP Thrift Shop, Second Mile Center (Detroit), Plymouth Salvation Army, Northville Civic Concern, Hope Clinic (Ypsilanti), Crossroads (Detroit), Faith Community Coalition (Greater Detroit area Foster Care), Kids Hope, and the Fort Street Open Door Ministry (Detroit), to name a few.

For more information about the Local Mission Committee, please contact one of the elders.

Committee: Member Connect

Elders:
Stacie Marentette (Chair)
Susan Johnson

  • The Member Connect Committee works to identify and address communication needs within the church.
  • From reaching out to our first-time visitors to communicating with long-time church members, this committee continually seeks to improve our communication within the church.
  • Assisted by the office staff and minister(s), this committee also runs New Member Classes as needed for our congregation and seeks to connect both new and current members with opportunities to share their talents and explore their faith.
  • The Member Connect Committee also actively highlights the church’s presence within the local community.

For more information about the Member Connect Committee, including Membership and Communication, please contact one of the elders.

Committee: National/International Mission

Elders:
Ailsa Blunk (Chair)
Jim Bernard

  • The goal of the National/International Mission Committee (NIMC) is to develop a number of long term mission partnerships with Christian outreach organizations, both national and international, and to increase our Church’s involvement in these activities through both group and individual actions. 
  • NIMC works to provide hands on opportunities for service that encourage our Church family to share the talents that they have received from God with individuals and groups in need.
  • Groups that we have supported include: Colina de Luz Christian Home for Children (Mexico); FPCP-Mtenthera CCAP Partnership (Africa), Malawi Matters, Inc. (Africa), Marion Medical Mission (Africa), Operation Christmas Child, Veritas College (Africa), Presbyterian Disaster Relief, Operation Christmas Child, and a wide variety of mission trips for both youth and adults.

If you are interested in the National/International Mission Committee, please contact the elder to find out how you can become involved.

Committee: Nominating

Elder:
Sandy Dodge (Chair, Clerk of Session)

  • The Nominating Committee is comprised of serving Elders, Deacons, congregation members, and the Clerk of Session, serving as the chair.
  • The role of the Nominating Committee is to seek and nominate congregational members that are willing to serve in an Elder or Deacon leadership role for a 3 year period.
  • The other role of the committee is to find and nominate congregational members willing to serve on a PNC (Pastoral Nominating Committee) or an APNC (Associate Pastoral Nominating Committee) in the event that there is a need to call a new Minister.

Committee: Presbyterian Women

Leadership:

 

Committee: Stewardship

Elders:
Scott Boothroyd (Chair)
Tom Liddle

  • The Stewardship Committee enables and encourages the members of the church to live out their faith through their commitment of time, treasure, and talent. 
  • Stewardship is one way of saying “thank you” to God while supporting the ministries of the church.  It is a form of discipleship that enables meeting the needs of our church families, as well as those of the visitors and other friends who enter our doors every week. These needs include the desire to hear reminders of God’s love; reaching out in Mission; providing faith nurture for our children; and belonging to a living community of faith.

If you have an interest in ensuring that the mission and outreach of the church remain strong in the future, have a knack for event planning, or are wordsmiths who can help create campaign materials for publications and mailings, you might find the Stewardship committee to be a great fit.  For more information, please contact the elder.

Committee: Worship

Elders:
Carole Moon (Chair)
Carol Stoner

  • The Worship Committee is responsible for supporting the worship experience in the Sanctuary and the Upper Room through the coordination clergy, music, flowers and decorations, Communion, service support, and ushers.  This committee also coordinates hospitality and the disbursement of memorial funds.
  • Since the onset of COVID, the Worship Committee has worked to create worship experiences within the restrictions in place for social distancing. To this end, worship has continued remotely since March 2020 in a prerecorded Online Video Service format and, since Christmas Eve, a weekly live Parking Lot Service format.
  • Through the Worship Committee, FPCP hosts a number of music ministry programs that are open for those with an interest in music to join.  To learn more about them, go to Music Ministry.

You can become involved through such activities as ushering, joining the chancel choir or bell choir, or the Hospitality Committee.  For more information on the various Worship programs that FPCP has available, please contact one of the elders.