Introduction

This report of the Joint Needs Assessment Committee (JNAC) is presented to the Church Council, Congregations of the Gander Charge and West District, United Church of Canada. The report was compiled in compliance with the accepted procedures adopted by the United Church of Canada as the first step leading to the filling of vacancies created by a change of pastoral relations in our Pastoral Charge.

The JNAC respectfully submits its report after due consideration of all relevant information supplied from Church Records, Committee Reports, Annual Reports, Financial Statements and the completed questionnaires returned by the members of the Charge.

We trust that this Report will enable our Charge to move forward in filling the ministerial vacancy that exists on our Charge.

Members of the Joint Needs Assessment Committee

John Elliott Chair, Church Council
Ken Slaney Secretary, Church Council
Tony Foote Treasurer, Church Council
Cator Brown Session
Bill West Ministry & Personnel Committee
Scott Thompson Glenwood-Appleton Representative
Jennie Osmond Benton Representative
Rev. Miriam Bowlby Pastoral Relations Agent
Rev. Heather Sandford Pastoral Relations Agent

THE COMMUNITY OF BENTON

Benton is a small village of approximately 40 households, located about 23 km. East of Gander and about 4 km from the TCH. It came into being in the 1930's as a logging center on the main railway. The main occupations are now airport and service jobs in Gander and on the highway. There is a garage but no service station, and 2 convenience stores. Benton has a Community Hall and two churches - United Church and Anglican. Students are bussed to schools in Gander. It seems highly unlikely that industry will be attracted to this area so it will probably continue to exist as a bedroom town of Gander.

View Photo of Benton United Church

THE TOWNS OF GLENWOOD AND APPLETON

Glenwood and Appleton are two small towns located 22 kilometers west of Gander, separated only by the Gander River. The population as per a government census:

The 1996 census shows that the Town of Appleton has shown significant growth while the Town of Glenwood has declined in population. Appleton, being the newer town, has attracted many younger residents to its town, while Glenwood shows a bigger percentage of older residents.

School Survey
A school survey shows the total school population in 1984 (opening of Lakewood Academy) was 399. Today the enrollment is 232 representing 149 families. Presently there are 19 teachers employed - 17 living in Gander and 2 in Glenwood-Appleton. Religious affiliations of the 232 students:

Denominations represented by families and members:

Summary Comments
Employment: approximately 60-65% of the workforce in Glenwood-Appleton is employed in Gander and commute daily. A.L. Stuckless & Sons employs about 20-25% with more than 80 workers at peak periods. 5-10% are employed at local jobs. Many seasonal jobs are provided through sports fishing, guiding and tourism on the Gander River.

Population: Appleton has a much younger population than Glenwood. The number of retired people in Appleton and Glenwood is about 20 to 25% of the total population.

View Photo of Glenwood United Church

THE TOWN OF GANDER

The Town of Gander, with a population of approximately 10,000 persons, is located in central Newfoundland and is a major service center for the area. The community is situated on the Trans Canada Highway with access to the ocean in just 30 minutes. Gander is the home of Gander International Airport with daily domestic flights serving the province and the region.

The main economic industries for the Town of Gander are in the areas of transportation, communications, public administration, and defense. In addition, a large portion of the economy in Gander is driven by the service industry as it is central to a service area consisting of some 96,000 people within a 100 km radius including 149 communities.

Gander offers a host of recreational opportunities both for tourists and residents. The Town supports and operates many parks, hiking trails, playgrounds and recreational programs year round including a multipurpose hockey arena, a Curling Club and a nine hole golf course that sprawls over a pristine country setting. Hailed as one of the most remarkable recoveries of Atlantic salmon in eastern North America the nearby Gander River is a world class waterway offering thrilling adventures and superb angling.

The Town of Gander has a variety of apartments, condominiums, cottages and homes to suit every need including a complete selection of accommodations for the retired. The community has seniors apartments, cottages and a housing development dedicated exclusively to the needs of the retired.

EDUCATION

There is a single school system in Gander involving three schools and accommodating approximately 1600 students attending grades kindergarten to twelve. These schools offer a variety of programs including French Immersion. Details with respect to program offerings may be acquired directly from the schools: Gander Academy @256-8531; St. Paul’s Intermediate @256-8404; and Gander Collegiate @256-2581.

HEALTH SERVICES

The James Paton Memorial Hospital, located on the Trans Canada Highway in Gander has a 92 bed capacity. There is a full spectrum of medical and surgical services with consultants in General
Surgery, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Pediatrics, Orthopedics, ENT, Psychiatry, Ophthalmology, Internal Medicine, Radiology, Pathology and Anesthesiology.

To complement the medical services provided, the Hospital has a dedicated nursing department and a full range of diagnostic and treatment departments including: laboratory, nuclear medicine, ultrasound, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy (including asthma clinic), speech and hearing, pharmacy, social work, psychology, therapeutic dietetics and diabetes.

CHURCHES

There are ten (10) denominational Churches located in Gander. They are as follows:

Fraser Road United Church St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church
St. Martin’s Anglican Pro Cathedral Salvation Army
Pentecostal Baptist Church
Crossroads Congregational Gospel Hall
Victory Christian Fellowship Word of Life

SHOPPING

There are two (2) malls and a shopping center located in the downtown area of Gander. These shopping areas are located near other services such as the post office, banks, dry cleaners and restaurants. You can find just what you are looking for in downtown Gander - from specialty spices to freshly baked bread and live lobster.

View Photos of Fraser Road United Church

THE GANDER PASTORAL CHARGE

The Gander Pastoral Charge consists of three (3) preaching points: Gander, with approximately 650 households; Glenwood-Appleton, with approximately 65 households, and Benton, with approximately 14 households.

Gander
Fraser Road United Church in Gander celebrated the 40th anniversary of its Church building in 1998, thought the congregation dates back to the early years of Gander and was started with visiting ministers in 1938. A new Church Hall was officially opened in 1998, with up-to-date facilities, and significant renovations were done to the Church building at the same time. The buildings are totally accessible.

The congregation is well organized with one (1) service per Sunday, celebration of the Sacraments once per month, Nursery, Sunday School, mid-week youth group, Scouting program, regular confirmation classes, two UCW Units, Church Council with active Committees, Male, Senior, Handbell and Sign Choirs and a very active volunteer program. Approximately 10-15% of the total congregation regularly attend Sunday worship, with average attendance of 200 to 250 persons.

Regular visitation is made to the Lakeside Homes for Seniors by clergy and lay people; the clergy also visit at Nightingale Manor and Golden Legion Manor on an as-needed basis. Gander is responsible for Chaplaincy at the James Paton Memorial Hospital which means that all United Church people in the hospital are visited at least once a week, in addition to emergencies. Lay persons from the Church visit patients from the Pastoral Charge regularly.

A part-time secretary is employed by the Charge and works in the Fraser Road Church, a full time caretaker is also employed.

A Housing Allowance will be provided in lieu of a manse. (update 06/02/06 je)

Glenwood-Appleton
First United Church is located in Glenwood, on the west side of the Gander River and by the side of the TCH. The Church building was built in 1953 and has been well maintained over the years. A basement has been completed underneath the Church to provide a hall, kitchen and washroom facilities. A wheelchair ramp has also been installed. The cemetery is beside the Church.

One service is held every Sunday, alternating an 11 a.m. and a 7 p.m. service. Additional services are held at Christmas, Holy Week and Easter. There is a Senior Choir with a Choir Director, a Board of Management, an active UCW and a youth group. Young people are involved in Advent and Lenten candle liturgies. Average attendance is 20 to 25 persons, about 10-15% of the congregation. Home visitation and pastoral care have contributed to an increase in attendance in the past couple of years.

At least four(4) members of the congregation serve on the Pastoral Charge’s Church Council and its Committees.

Benton
First United Church building is a renovated and very recently upgraded school and is fitted with a wheelchair ramp.

Services are held twice per month with an average attendance of 10 to 15.

GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPENING ON THE CHARGE

Groups that meet regularly

Active, lively Sunday School (weekly except when there are All Ages Worship Services
UCW - 2 in Gander, 1 in Glenwood-Appleton, 1 in Benton (monthly)
Men’s Group - 1 in Gander (weekly)
4 Choirs - Senior, Men’s, Handbells, and Sunday School (weekly)
1 Guitar Group (weekly)
Scouting - Beavers, Cubs and Scouts (weekly)
Youth Group (weekly)
Parents and Tots (weekly)
Women’s Time Out (weekly)
A.A. and Al-Anon (twice weekly)
Adult Social Club (monthly)
2 Sign Language Classes, Kids and Adults (weekly)
Guatemalan Mission Team (monthly)
Bible Study (Gander holds frequent 4-6 week studies, Lenten Study)
(Glenwood-Appleton holds one monthly Study in place of regular worship service)
Curriculum Committee (monthly)
Sunday School Teachers meetings (quarterly)
Vacation Planning Team (monthly - January-June)

Vacation Bible School (annually - 5 half-days)
Confirmation Classes (annually - 8 week series - combined for Charge)
Youth/Family Camp (annually)
Christmas Float for Parade (annually)
Kids’ Christmas Party (annually)
Walk for Water (annually)

OPERATING BUDGET
(A copy of the Annual Report is available upon request.)

The Pastoral Charge received monies in the following ways:

a) Weekly Offering
b) Building Fund
c) In Memoriams
d) Mission and Service Fund
e) Special Appeals

The Charge also budgets and receives monies from the United Church Women (UCW) and through special fundraising events. The total funds raised in a normal budget year for the Pastoral Charge exceeds $350,000.

The Gander Church has a capital debt of $40,000 because of major upgrading of the Church and the addition of a Church Hall adjoining the original Church building in 1997. Funds for this major building and renovations were raised through pledges, gifts and regular givings. This congregation supports faithfully its financial obligations to maintain its operations and repay capital debts.

This Pastoral Charge sets an annual budget structure. The budget is prepared in accordance with sub-headings, one of the major expenditure items is the cost of the services of Ministry and Personnel. Each budget sub-heading is maintained and expenditure is expected to follow this pattern as approved by the congregational meetings.

PROPERTIES

Within this Charge are three (3) Church buildings: Fraser Road United, First United Benton and First United Glenwood-Appleton. In Gander are located the manse and Church hall/auditorium. Appropriate lands for parking and traffic control are available to the Charge.

In Benton there is a small chapel/hall for the normal activities of this small congregation. The building is well maintained.

In Glenwood-Appleton there is a Church building with a Church hall and meeting room in the basement. The building is in good condition.

At Fraser Road United in Gander the Church has undergone major repairs (new roof, windows, office renovations) and upgrading (all electrical and fire safety codes have been met) and a new public address system was added in 2002. A new Church hall has been attached to allow the addition of an elevator to make all levels of the Church and hall totally wheelchair accessible.
This Church/Hall complex is modern in every respect and is in excellent state of repair. The manse has undergone some renovations and repairs and provides a comfortable dwelling for a minister and his/her family. A housing allowance is paid for the other Minister (see Manse report in Appendix E). Note: (The Church Council is recommending to the congregation that the manse be disposed of and housing allowances paid to both ministers.)

The Pastoral Charge has excellent Property Committees and in Gander there is a full-time caretaker. The Property Committee, comprising volunteers, is capable of undertaking minor repairs as required with minimal cost to the Charge.

We view our Churches and related buildings as being available for Church-related activities as well as for some outreach to the community at large. We encourage ecumenical services and programs designed to reach out to the various needs of our communities.

The Church takes into account, through its budgetary structure, appropriate revenue and expenditures to cover the operating costs of these facilities.

This Pastoral Charge, like most in our Province, exists on the funds provided by the generosity of our people. There are no in-trust accounts, but the Fraser Road congregation has established an education fund that people can make contributions to and an annual amount is budgeted from general revenue. Our Stewardship responsibilities from all resources enable us to meet our financial obligations on a year-to-year basis. We successfully meet our obligations and our people support us well.

VOLUNTEERS AND LEADERS

We recognize the strength of our volunteers for every aspect of our Church life. Givings of time and monies reflect the strengths of our volunteers and commitment and loyalties of our people. We realize that the patterns of giving follow the seasons of the Church life. Our efforts are geared to follow the peaks and valleys in giving, and seasons of high givings are extremely blessed with the fundraising efforts of our Finance Committee and the United Church Women’s groups in all of our Churches. This can be readily seen in our Annual Financial Statements and Budgets for the upcoming year. (See Annual Report in Appendix F).

Our congregations receive support in many ways, financial is but one aspect. We encourage leadership in Youth activities, Sunday Schools, Scouting, Choirs, Music, Women’s activities through UCW, Committees and Church Council work, Bible Study, and Outreach to the community at large. We take great pride in being able to meet our commitment to the Mission and Service Fund of the United Church of Canada by providing opportunities to share the greater work of the Church with members of our congregations.

We support leadership in many activities. Our Church life is largely dependent on volunteers. We are blessed with the leadership shown in children’s, youth, seniors’ and family programs plus regular worship. These programs are financially and morally supported by our members as well as by the various organizations like the UCW.

Volunteers frequently prepare and conduct services at the various Seniors’ Complexes in order to lighten the load on the Clergy.

STAFF

As regular employed staff, our Charge supports:

- Minister
- Minister/Chaplain
- Organist/Choir Director
- Secretary
- Caretaker

We view our Ministry as being a team effort. The Support Staff assist the Ministers in many supportive roles. The Secretary, for instance, takes care of many scheduling details of the Ministers’ daily work. We have always had a strong music program at our Church. The Ministers and the Organist/Choir Directors work together to enhance the message or spiritual theme of each service.

MINISTRY

Our Ministry personnel are supported by many volunteers and volunteer committees. The Ministry and Personnel Committee supports ministry and support personnel in their personal requests (holidays, schedules, study leave, etc.) while our Session supports the ministry personnel in spiritual matters and on-going concerns in the spiritual life of the Church. The ministry personnel have the resources of Church Council and its various committees to enable them to carry out the work and mission of the Charge.

POSITION PROFILE

MINISTRY PERSONNEL

TITLE AND SUMMARY STATEMENT OF POSITIONS

A. Position Title: Ministers (2 - Full time)

The Ministers, working as a Team, under the general direction of the Church Council and the guidance of the Ministry and Personnel Committee, are responsible for administering to and addressing the spiritual needs of the congregations at Gander, Glenwood-Appleton and Benton.

The Ministers are responsible for the overall direction and, through weekly meetings, coordinate the Ministry of Word, Sacrament and Pastoral care, so as to provide nurture for the family of Christ on the Pastoral Charge.

An electronic pager is provided and monitored continuously. Responsibility for the pager alternates each week between the two Ministers.

The Ministers have considerable freedom to establish their own style of ministry and pursue special interests which must include youth participation and home visits to shut-ins. However, when in doubt, they shall seek and obtain the approval of the Ministry and Personnel Committee. They are expected to take two days per week to devote to personal interests, family, hobbies, rest, relaxation, etc. The Ministers will cover for each other to ensure continuous coverage of the Pastoral Charge, with the exception of West District/Conference meetings and/or when unforeseen circumstances arise.

The Gander Pastoral Charge promotes Team Ministry, i.e., the Ministers work as members of a Team of other employees (Clergy, Choir Director/Organist, Secretary and Caretaker). It is also expected that members of the congregations are to be part of this Team by volunteering their time and talents to enhance the full mission of our Charge.

This Charge has an agreement with West District to provide Chaplaincy services to all members of the United Church of Canada who are patients/residents at James Paton Memorial Hospital and Lakeside Senior Citizens Homes. These duties are assumed as a team effort by the Ministers to ensure continuous coverage when one Minister is away from the Charge.

The Ministers are responsible to the Church Council through the Ministry & Personnel Committee.

B. Salary and Housing

This Charge will support the salary of Ministry Personnel at the agreed Incremental Policy as approved by General Council.

The manse, acceptable by the standards set by West District, is provided for one full-time Minister and an equivalent housing allowance for the other Minister. The Church Council is currently reviewing the future use of the manse. The incoming Minister will be expected to occupy the manse. If Council decides later in 2005 not to maintain the manse, the occupant will be given the option of vacating the manse and accepting a housing allowance or staying in the manse without further upgrades for the duration of the settlement.

C. Other Expenses and Allowances

Travel expenses are reimbursed at $0.36 per kilometer for work-related travel other than home to work travel. Ministry Personnel are required to log all work-related travel for monthly reimbursement.

Basic telephone service is provided to either the manse or the person’s home.

Our Charge supports the Ministry personnel in study and lifelong learning. Financial support is provided for the Minister’s book fund and for Study Leave as required in the terms of employment.

D. Personnel Benefits

The Charge provides suitable, fully computerized office space to enable the Ministry personnel to undertake their duties in preparation for worship, to provide privacy for counseling and for other work-related functions.

Within its means, the Charge provides secretarial help that is supplemented by volunteer efforts on the part of the congregation.

The Pension and Group Insurance benefits of the United Church of Canada are provided.

The Charge will maintain compliance with Government requirements for programs such as the Canada Pension Plan, Employment Insurance, etc.

E. Sample Service Schedule for one month (Divided between two Ministers, with occasional help from a volunteer group).

GANDER PASTORAL CHARGE
GANDER, NEWFOUNDLAND
POSITION DESCRIPTION

GANDER PASTORAL CHARGE
GANDER, NEWFOUNDLAND
POSITION DESCRIPTION

GANDER PASTORAL CHARGE

Report of Joint Needs Assessment Committee

Conclusions and Recommendations:

GANDER PASTORAL CHARGE
CHURCH COUNCIL COMPOSITION AND COMMITTEE STRUCTURE

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