Committees of the Church

The Shepherd's Table:
The Shepherd's Table Soup Kitchen, a food outreach of the Phenix Baptist Church, West Warwick, served its 10,000th meal on Wednesday, February 11th, 2004. This program is coordinated by Dorothy Brindamour and her husband Philip and Bill Bridge are the chefs. Bill and Dorothy are both current certified food handlers.

This outreach began on the last Wednesday in October, 1997 as a joint effort by folks from Phenix Baptist and a corps of volunteers from RiverPoint Advent Christian. The West Bay chapter of the St. Vincent de Paul Society was also instrumental in our start up with both donations and logistical support. A grant from Arkwright, Inc. provided our financial base. During the first year, a meal was served every Wednesday at 5:30 PM with the exception of Christmas and New Year's Eve. Beginning in 2000 the decision was made to close during the months of June, July and August.

In the years that followed the opening, the original church teams were joined by volunteers from Riverpoint Congregational Church, Shepherd of the Valley United Methodist Church, and Church of the Apostles. They each supply a group of volunteers and financial support. This results in a schedule of once every 5 weeks by each church. Dorothy, Phil and Bill get to participate each week. Our teams are joined by other volunteers, those needing community service, Honor Society participants, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, candidates for Confirmation and Alan Shawn Feinstein program participants.

The need for an evening meal program in the Pawtuxet Valley was identified by Thomas Iannitti, Human Services Director for West Warwick. We serve a free meal to all individuals and families who come through the door each Wednesday afternoon.  There are no qualifications to receive this service and we are listed in directories with the RI Community Food Bank and Travelers' Aid. Stop by some Wednesday afternoon and have a hot or cool drink and see what we do; anytime after 2:30 PM.

Nominating Committees:
The Nominating Committee considers possible volunteer candidates to fill open positions on our Church Boards and Committees. In order to provide our members and friends with information which helps them to make informed decisions about service opportunities within our Church community, from time to time, we detail specific duties of our Boards and Committees.

The committee is chaired by the Church clerk and consists of the Deacon and Trustee chairs and (3) members of the church body. It meets whenever vacancies occur and in conjunction with preparations for the Annual Church Boatf and Committee nominees.

Finance Committee:
Finance Committee's job is to monitor all fund raising activities done in the name of Phenix Baptist Church. Also to organize and direct an annual stewardship campaign in order to raise funds for the conducting of the ministry of the church, and to keep a confidential record of envelope assignments and amounts pledged.They are to present proposed budget for adoption to the church at a fall business meeting. To present to the church at a January meeting an operating budget based on the results of the stewardship campaign. To monitor monthly expenses and income to ensure adherence to the budget adopted by the church. They are to approve all the bills to be paid by the Treasurer and to advise the Trustees concerning the stewardship of the church's invested funds.  They are to count the church offerings and deposit same in the bank as soon as possible after each service, to forward minutes of each meeting to the Board of Trustees, and to report to the Annual Meeting of the Church

Women's Ministries:
The Women's Ministries meets in the church parlor at 7:00 PM on the 4th Wednesday of each month from September through November and January through May. We have a devotion and/or a project, a love gift dedication and refreshments are served. All women are invited to join in the church parlor in December for our annual Christmas Party and in June we meet for a Banquet. Hope to see you there!

Men's Fellowship:
The Men's fellowship attempts to meet once a month. We have devotions, discussions and try to help those who may need assistance. If you have a small project that you would like us to do, please call the church office at 821-1618.

Pastoral Committee:
Interacts with pastor about his/her role and provide a channel or communication between the pastor and the congregation. Works with Pastor about compensation and makes recommendation to the Finance Committee. The committee also counsels pastor regarding continuing education.

Ushering:
The ushering committee serves at each Sunday Service. We make sure the sanctuary is set up for the worship service, collect the prayer cards to present to the pastor for morning prayer and then collect the weekly offering. Ushers are also on the look out for any needs the congregation may have especially in the event of an emergency situation.

Deacons
The six deacons at Phenix Baptist Church are lay men or women who are assigned the spiritual leadership of the church. The deacons try to show by example Christian living, caring, and serving. The deacons have a personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. They believe the Bible as the inerrant word of God. The deacons are responsible for serving communion the first Sunday of each month, making the sanctuary a place conducive to worship, and interviewing prospective candidates for baptism and membership. They also are responsible for recommending membership candidates to the congregation for approval, initiating the phone link to encourage members in their attendance and inform members of urgent prayer requests, the Gospel Chariot for those who need a ride to and from church, and the Meal Ministry for those needing meals brought to their homes following a hospitalization, birth, or death in the family. Their responsibilities include a Grief Ministry to serve to anyone who has need of it, asking a worship leader to lead each worship services, one deacon serving on the search committee when the church is searching for a new pastor, and managing the Diaconate Fund which aids people in the church and community in financial need. Lastly, they are responsible for Laity Sunday, the Ash Wednesday Prayer Vigil, and Maundy Thursday Service. In conjunction with other committees, they are responsible for the Hanging of the Greens Service, the Christmas Eve Service, the Easter Service, the Deacons Fund Dinner, and the Friendship Concerts and Dinners.