Elders

"The saying is trustworthy: if anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He much manage his own household well, with all diginity keeping his children submissive, for ig someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care of God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil" -- 1 Timothy 3:1-7 (ESV)

The office of an elder (shepherd, bishop, overseer, etc.) as described by the Bible as one of carring for the church's spiritual welfare (see Acts 20:28-35 in its larger context of Paul's speech to the elders of Ephesus). It is critical position of service and responsiblity in the church and therfore God has give some serious qualifitcations found in both 1 Timothy 3:1ff and Titus 1:5ff.

Barry Fogal, Gerry Millette

Decons

"Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued. not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let decons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their households well. For those who servce well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith is in Christ Jesus." -- 1 Timothy 3:8-13 (ESV)

In the early church (Acts 6) it was quickly recongnized that the church needed special servants to attend to the needs of its members. Deacons, according to their Biblical calling, take leadership in making sure that the "nuts and bolts" of the congregation are being covered. Some will, for example, take care of the church's buidling, others will take care of the needy, still others will be church treasurers, etc. Our deacons are hardworking and dedicated.

The following men have been selected by the congregation to serve as deacons:

Doug Paul
Education

Will Hamel
Facilities

David Skerry
Benevolence & Outreach

Wes Plybon
Worship

Preacher

The job of a preacher or evangelist is sometimes referred to in the New Testament as the ministry of the word. Although people frequently refer to the preacher of a church as the pastor, the New Testament uses the term "pastor" for the office variously call "sherperd," "elder," "bishop," "overseer," or "presbyter" (see Acts 20). What the preacher does, however is preach the word of God to the church as well as to the world around him; soemtimes he is referred to as an evangelist, a person who tells the "good news" (the gospel) to others.

Danny Campbell has been preaching for the last twenty years, more than half of that time in New England. Kim, his wife and partner in Kingdom service, is a “Mainer”, born in Portland and raised in Topsham. They have four children, all raised in Augusta, Maine where Danny served the Augusta Church of Christ. The accomplishment of which he is proudest is that two men with whom he worked in Maine are now full-time Ministers, both in the East. A “Preacher’s Kid”, Danny graduated from Harding Academy in 1978 and Harding University in 1983, entering into full-time Ministry in 2001. Prior to that, he had worked for many years prior in Sales (Insurance/Financial Services) and Education (Foreign Language Teacher). Danny’s experience with and joyful love for working with people have helped him “do the work of an evangelist” and he hopes to help us all here in Manchester learn to love to do the same.