Buildings and Grounds The entire York Alliance property is cared for and managed by volunteers. The Trustees, a committee appointed by the Governing Board and chaired by Don Grove, oversees the property at an overview level. This includes: oversight of major projects (including the final phases of the renovation, happening currently), leading Spring and Fall Work Days, and working on larger building and maintenance projects as needed. The majority of the day to day work is handled by rotating teams of volunteers who serve through vacuuming, cleaning tile floors, cleaning and stocking bathrooms, cleaning windows, dusting, lawn care, planting and weeding flower beds, and trash collection. Dianne Kolb oversees the majority of these teams and manages the volunteer schedules. There are many ways to get connected to this vital ministry. Each of the rotating teams could handle more volunteers in order to lighten the load for those already serving. There is constantly a need for small teams (families, groups of friends, LIFE groups, etc.) to tackle small to medium sized projects that often go undone due to their scope. There is also the opportunity for those who are members of York Alliance to serve with the Trustees once appointed by the Governing Board. Dianne Kolb degaley61@aol.com, cell: (717) 825-7412 Mike Carletti mcarletti@yorkalliance.org, cell: (717) 332-7665 Visitation Team As an extension of the care ministry provided by the Pastoral Staff and Elders, the men and women serving on the Visitation Team experience deep joy in connecting with individuals and couples of our church family who are unable to regularly attend our worship gatherings or who are experiencing emotional or physical issues. Whether it s visiting a home-bound elderly couple or individual, paying a visit to someone in the hospital, rehab center or nursing care facility, or simply making a phone call or sending a note of encouragement, those on this team have opportunity to value those in need or who are going through a difficult season of their life. Bringing blessing to someone who is sick, lonely or in a difficult situation is an important ministry that provides encouragement for our elderly saints and those in need and which helps them to know they are genuinely loved by the York Alliance family. If you love being with people and have a heart of compassion for individuals in all seasons and issues of life, you are invited to join in with the scheduled rotation of those who serve on the Visitation Team and/or to simply be placed on an on-call list for last-minute hospital visits that cannot be immediately handled by the Pastoral Staff or Elders. Your life will truly be blessed as you enter into the opportunities of visiting and blessing others. Tim Shuey tshuey@yorkalliance.org, cell: (717) 424-4595
Worship Attendants The most visible volunteers during each Sunday s Celebration gatherings can be found on the sanctuary platform or behind a microphone. However, our gatherings would never be able to run as smoothly, nor would they be as inviting an environment, if it weren t for a host of faithful men, women and children who open doors, shake hands, offer friendly greetings, provide needed information, and support the celebration gathering in many other unseen ways. Our team of Worship Attendants is, in a very real way, the face of York Alliance each Sunday morning. This group of servants attends to needs of elderly in the parking lot, greets at the outside and sanctuary doors, collects the offering, and generally oversees the environment of the most public areas of York Alliance, making sure that the first impression that our regular attendees and guests receive is a hospitable one. If you love people and are willing to practice the art of biblical hospitality, this is a wonderful place to serve. We are constantly looking to add to our team of Worship Attendants in both the 8:30 and 10:30 Sunday gatherings. Worship attendants arrive early for the gatherings and work with a scheduled rotating team to make sure people are warmly greeted and engaged as they enter York Alliance for worship. They also seek to intentionally engage first time guests and help to make connections both to the basic flow of the facility and worship gathering as well as to individuals within the community. Platform Musicians God has created us such that our hearts are stirred by both listening to, and engaging in, music. Though much has changed over the over two thousand year history of the church, the presence of music has been a constant. At York Alliance, we seek to embrace all forms for the glory of God, recognizing the need for a wide variety of musical expressions to encourage and express worship to God. We are thankful for a rotating team of excellent worship leaders, led by Abigail Horsman, our Worship Arts Coordinator. Each worship leader works with a varied team of instrumentalists and vocalists. We are also led monthly by a Choral Worship Team which is made up of singers of all ages leading in conjunction with a worship leader and instrumental team. For individuals with talent and passion, there are incredible opportunities for expressing music for the glory of God! We are always looking to expand the number of instrumentalists and singers who can be available to serve with our worship teams, including the Choral Worship Team. Instrumentalists of all kinds can be utilized at various times. Arrangements will be made for interested instrumentalists to have an informal audition with Pastor Tim or a group of musicians to determine things like skill level, style preference, etc., and then to be potentially added to the pool of musicians for worship leaders to contact. The Choral Worship Team is a large group of singers who are invited to participate according to their schedule, requiring simply a Saturday morning rehearsal and availability at both morning gatherings on scheduled Sunday dates. Re Tuttle yac@yorkalliance.org, office: (717) 848-1700 Abigail Horsman abigail.horsman@gmail.com, cell: (717) 817-2292
Technical Support Team All that takes place each Sunday morning and at other corporate gatherings would not be able to happen without the support of the Tech Team. Sound, lights, video and projection are all handled by skilled and trained volunteers who worship through serving in this very practical way. This team, under the leadership of Pastor Chris, works alongside our pastoral staff and worship leaders in coordinating details of each Sunday s gathering. Sound operators and projectionists are seen as much a part of the worship team as the platform vocalist, guitarist, and drummer. Tech team members work hard in order to be largely invisible, performing their duties at such a level of excellence that the average person forgets they are even there. A scheduled rotation of serving enables this ministry to be a joy and not a burden. While technical knowledge and ability is certainly a plus, aptitude for technical things is really the only qualification. Pastor Chris, along with other sound techs and projectionists, provide training for those who are interested in serving in this capacity. Some natural gifting is needed, particularly for sound techs who, along with technical aptitude, must learn to hear a wellblended balance of instrumentals and vocals. Those who serve in these roles need to arrive at worship team rehearsals prior to the rest of the team in order to handle equipment set-up and preparations, and they often remain after gatherings to tear down the equipment. The projectionist role requires less time commitment and technical proficiency but does require computer knowledge and a commitment to rehearsals and the scheduled events. Chris Horsman chorsman@yorkalliance.org, cell: (616) 560-1454 Building Aesthetics It s the little things that transform a public place, like a church building, into a welcoming environment. There are aspects of every public place that are simply functionally necessary, but the touches of décor and style beyond the necessary can completely change the experience. We are constantly looking for those who have a passion for aesthetics, décor, and organization to help blend the functional and the appealing within the York Alliance building. Those who serve on this team would handle everything from paint colors, room arrangement and wall hangings to helping clean out unnecessary items from storage and organizing what remains in ways that are both usable and reasonably attractive. This team is still in the formational stages as we finally approach the end of building renovation and begin to look at long-term building care. Our hope is to form a small team who can work together to transform a few specific areas around the building into attractive and welcoming areas, and then to do walk-throughs a few times each year in order to update décor, catch areas that have started to gather junk and recommend new ways of handling the public spaces throughout the building. Much of this work will likely be done at the convenience of the team. There will likely only be a few times each year when this team will require a significant time commitment. Mike Carletti mcarletti@yorkalliance.org, cell: (717) 332-7665
Special Events and Hospitality From time to time York Alliance has special events which require the gift of hospitality and serving, such as weddings and funerals, which require a team to coordinate and enlist other volunteers. Other examples of this ministry would include the church picnic and Culture & Theology events. Typically, there are no more than 4 weddings per calendar year and funerals are as necessary. There is a need for a coordinator to lead this team(s) as well as team members. Weddings would include meeting with the bride to decide on altar décor, as well as being present during the rehearsal and the actual wedding ceremony to help keep everything on track. Funeral preparations primarily lie in the area of food prep or pickup, décor, and serving of the luncheon following the service. In addition to the need for a Special Event Coordinator, teams of people willing to volunteer on a rotational basis are also needed. Training for weddings and funerals will be provided by the head deaconess, Nedra Baker and administrative support for these events will be provided by the church office. Men and women are needed for setup and teardown of tables/chairs and other logistics. This is often a wonderful way to minister to those who are under much stress and often in need of someone else to provide the structure surrounding the event. Caron Foreman caron4man@gmail.com, cell: 717-818-2258 Nancy Kauffman nmakauff@cplx.net, home: 717-843-6532 Sanctuary Preparation As York Alliance Church people meet together as family on Sunday mornings, the Sanctuary Ministry Team recognizes the importance of honoring God by the preparations made in our place of worship each week. The members of the team desire that this church home provides a worship setting that is inviting not only to our current church family but also to those first-time guests who will potentially be part of our family. Accordingly, much care and attentiveness is given to the placement of aesthetics, of emblems, and of the general décor in our place of corporate worship. One of the primary areas of ministry is the preparation for the celebration of communion which typically takes place on the first Sunday of each month as well as throughout the Sundays of Lent and Advent. Additionally, team members prepare the altar table, platform and windows with seasonal décor and provide appropriate aesthetic displays for other events such as Global Connection Sundays, weddings, funerals, and announcements of the birth of babies. In particular, beautifying the sanctuary for Advent requires many hours of setup. The Sanctuary Ministry Team is continually seeking to build the roster of volunteers available to prepare for communion each time we celebrate the Lord s Table. Additional volunteers are needed to assist with providing décor for the altar table. The hands of many men, women, families, LIFE Groups, etc. are especially needed in decorating the sanctuary for the Advent season. Still others are invited to prepare the sanctuary for weddings and other special events. Nedra Baker 1788mom@gmail.com, cell: (717) 891-5754
Financial Counseling LIFE Group Involvement Genesis 12:2 says, And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. At York Alliance we believe that God has blessed us so that we can be a blessing to others. This blessing comes in many forms, one of which is through financial wealth. In order to be a blessing with our money we need to learn to be good stewards of it first. Without the proper understanding on how to handle our money this area of our lives can quickly move out of control. At York Alliance we want to encourage Godly stewardship of our money so that God s blessing can be used to bless those that don t know Christ. It is our desire that more and more of our giving can be used outside the walls of YAC to have an impact in York and across the globe! LIFE stands for Living In Fellowship Everyday. LIFE groups are simply groups of people at YAC who meet weekly outside the church building in order to build up and encourage one another, care for each other and those in our sphere of influence, and to reach out into the world with the gospel of Jesus. God has made us for community, and it s through our community that the world around us can see the love of Jesus! (John 13:35) LIFE groups allow the church family to encourage one another in living out faith by being a part of each other s journey toward Jesus. The community of a LIFE group often extends beyond weekly meetings to more regular, informal interaction with one another throughout each week as we live our lives with each other in mind. We have people within our body who have the gift and knowledge of financial planning and budgeting. We would like to see this gift used to not only teach followers of Christ how to be a blessing with their money, but to also help those who don t know Christ in managing their finances through the Deacon ministry. If you are one of these people and would like to be a part of helping others manage their money please consider contacting one of the individuals below. A majority of our groups are intergenerational, with a separate time in the weekly gathering (called "KidSlot") for children to learn to apply the truth of Jesus to their lives, so everyone can be involved. Many groups meet in the various homes of group members. While most groups meet in the evenings, there are several daytime groups for those who are unable to attend an evening gathering. If you re interested in finding out more about LIFE groups, the first step is visiting a group. One way to do that is by making contact with the church office, and we can put a LIFE group leader in contact with you. After a few visits, both you and the group leader can determine together whether that group would be a fit in a more permanent way. Tim Baker tbaker363@gmail.com, home: (717) 854-7335 Bob Aldinger Bobandcharlottea@aol.com, cell: (717) 968-9717 Brian Kannel bkannel@yorkalliance.org, cell: (717) 487-1913
Redemption Group Redemption Group is an intensive 12-week Bible-based discipleship program for men and women who desire to experience freedom from sin and to pursue a deeper walk with Christ through His redemptive work on the cross. Jeremiah 17:9 states, The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it? Through Gospel-saturated study and discussion, Redemption Group aims at dealing with the issues of the heart, not the outward symptoms. Participants discover that Jesus Christ alone provides hope for redemption for both our sin and the sin we are exposed to as a result of living in a fallen world. Through Redemption Group, men and women find that the message of the Gospel is adequate in providing a solution for individuals lost in various forms of addiction as well as for those dealing with issues of anger, guilt, shame, control, depression, loneliness, abuse and fear. Redemption Groups run each Fall and Spring at York Alliance. In most cases, in order to sponsor a Redemption Group participant, you will need to have completed the lesson material yourself. Therefore, plugging into a group is really the first step. While there is a significant commitment and representation of time and energy, Redemption Group is a ministry of York Alliance in which we continue to see incredible stories of God s transforming work in people s lives. Tim Shuey tshuey@yorkalliance.org, cell: (717) 424-4595 Global Action Team The role of the Global Action Team (GAT) is to initiate and develop missions locally and around the globe by partnering people and resources which ultimately transforms our church body into the hand and feet of Jesus in order to reach those who have not heard the Gospel. Their desire is to develop and maintain intimate relationships with our local and global partners in the Gospel while developing a heart-felt desire within each member of the church body to live a missional lifestyle. 2 Corinthians 5:20 says, We are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. This appeal is a call by God inviting us all into His redeeming plan for mankind. This redeeming plan stretches from our own neighborhoods, to our local cities and to countries beyond. The GAT is actively seeking ways to help the church body engage those who don t know Christ in both our local communities as well as communities across the globe. It is their desire that we become a people who are actively reaching the world as ministers of reconciliation through Jesus our Lord! The Global Action team meets monthly to discuss what God is doing among us and in the broken world around us. The team is active in facilitating events that give followers of Jesus opportunities to engage a broken world and to serve those who are less fortunate. They are also instrumental in coordinating the four Global Connection weeks throughout the year that expose the people of YAC to the work missions outside of YAC. Mike Carletti mcarletti@yorkalliance.org, cell: (717) 332-7665
Intercessory Prayer One of the phrases that can be heard over and over at York Alliance is: Prayer is the first work. Not only is it the last sentence in our vision statement and one of our seven values, but it s something that we state again and again as we seek to rely on the power of God in all things. However, in addition to prayer being a corporate activity and a part of every LIFE group, there is a growing team of men and women who are committed to engaging in this first work on behalf of York Alliance as a whole. They can be seen in the balcony each Sunday morning, praying over our Celebration gatherings. They gather in small groups throughout the week, on Tuesday mornings, Wednesday nights, and Saturday mornings. They intentionally pray over special events of various kinds. If prayer is the first work, then our Intercessory Prayer team are the first workers! Weekly prayer gatherings are open to all, so there s no contact that s needed to be made you can simply show up during those times and pray! Times are: Tuesday mornings, 6:00am, church lobby; Wednesday evenings, 6:00pm, Heritage Room on the lower level; Saturday mornings, 8:00am, sanctuary. Prayer teams are assigned each week to specifically pray during celebration gatherings, and these teams rotate each week. Finally, there are individuals needed to communicate with global and local missionaries and stay connected with needs within the church family in order to write the weekly Prayer Connection. Administrative Support The number of administrative details which need to be attended to within a church the size of York Alliance is mind-boggling. The vast majority of these details flow through our church office, led by Nancy Sterner and Re Tuttle. However, there are times when additional administrative support can prove very helpful, whether during vacation days, special projects, or during specific crunch times each week. Administrative support volunteers come alongside the office in a variety of ways: manning phones, producing and collating copies, making phone calls, and helping to put together communication pieces, to simply name a few. The majority of administrative needs happen during regular office hours each week, so a flexible schedule is incredibly helpful. Those who are willing can be added to a resource list which will be utilized by the office as well as other ministry leaders during seasons of administrative need. Specific job preferences can be noted as a part of this resource list. There are needs for those who are willing to serve regularly on a weekly or monthly basis, those who can serve as needed (irregularly) during office hours, and those who are only able to serve during evenings and weekends. Margaret Shuey margaretshuey1@gmail.com, cell: (717) 332-9626 Nancy Sterner nsterner@yorkalliance.org, office: (717) 848-1700
Children s Ministry Children s Ministry of York Alliance is almost completely handled by volunteers. Mary Beth Mackley, the Interim Children s Ministry Director, oversees the ministry and supports it at an administrative level. This includes: overseeing and scheduling childcare volunteers for Celebration Gatherings and special events, finding and supporting Biblical Education and Saturday Seminar teachers, supporting Carol Alvarnaz, the current director of our children s Wednesday evening gathering, SLAM (Serving God, Loving others And Making a difference), supporting Margaret Shuey, the current director of Summer Music Camp, and communicating regularly with volunteers to keep everyone on the same page. There are always opportunities to engage and love children on a long term basis, on a rotating schedule, on a short term basis, or even for a one time event. This can occur in any number of ways according to your availability and gifting: teaching, assisting teachers and children, working with large groups, working with small groups, leading games, leading crafts, hanging out with and caring for children, inviting children to share your passions/talents, informally instructing children how they can be used by Jesus to love others and make an eternal difference in the world, and so much more! If you love children and interacting with them at any level, I guarantee that there is a place for you somewhere in Children s Ministry. Student Ministries Students at York Alliance Church are cared for and led by a team of devoted adults who see the need to be investing in and mentoring younger generations. Activities in Student Ministries include weekly Bible studies on Wednesday evenings, called "Ignite", and the large group gathering on Sunday afternoons, called "The Journey". Along with these weekly meetings, students are invited to take part in special monthly events ranging from lock=ins to fundraising dinners to Super Bowl parties. Our goal is to consistently cast a vision of the Kingdom of God for students and how God is calling them to be a part of the redemption of the world in and through Jesus Christ. There are several ways you can help support Student Ministries. You can commit to praying regularly for our students and adult leadership team. We are also regularly in need of people who are willing to help provide lunch for The Journey on Sunday afternoons. Adults interested in taking an active role in Student Ministries are encouraged to apply to be an adult mentor or a member of the adult leadership team. Mary Beth Mackley mmackley@yorkalliance.org, cell: (717) 881-3766 Chris Horsman chorsman@yorkalliance.org, cell: (616) 560-1454