• Executive Council
  The Congregation shall determine and define the organization and duties of those Committees that shall be responsible and empowered to exercise particular functions of ministry; it shall also define the organization, membership, and responsibilities of the Church Council. Members of Committees shall be chosen from among the members and adherents of the Congregation for maximum participation.

At Manor Road, we have the following positions on the Executive Council:

• The member of the Order of Ministry settled in or appointed to the Pastoral Charge.
• The lay representative to the Presbytery.
• The Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Chairperson of Board of Trustees or an appointee, leader of United Church Women, Chairperson of Stewardship Committee, Chairperson of Pastoral Committee, Chairperson of Ministry and Personnel Committee or an appointee from each Committee, and Members at Large.

The Executive Council meets once per month, or as necessary. Each Chairperson reports on the work of that Committee. The Minister reports on plans for Services and events in conjunction with South Eglinton Network of Congregations. Also, scheduled baptisms are reported.

The Chairperson of Executive Council, or designate, chairs Congregational Meetings and the Annual Meeting of the Pastoral Charge.

The Budget for the year is approved by Executive Council before being presented at the Annual Meeting.

These reports enable all of the Executive Council to be aware of and have input into plans and accomplishments of the Pastoral Charge.

• Board of Trustees
  The Board of Trustees is responsible to the congregation for the management and safekeeping of the property and capital assets of the church.  

This involves:

Ensuring church property is adequately maintained. Arranging for liability and property insurance. The safekeeping and investment of capital funds donated for purposes other than the day to day operations of the church.

A Special Gifts Fund was established in 1973 to include endowments, bequests and other contributions given as ‘special gifts’. This fund is invested in a conservative way to protect the capital and generate income.   New trustees are elected by the existing trustees from dedicated members of the congregation. The Board of Trustees, consisting of nine members at present, meets regularly twice a year, in November and May. Special meetings can be called by the Chair if required.

• Ministry and Personnel
  The Ministry and Personnel Committee is a confidential and consultative body, mandated by the United Church of Canada. The committee is a liaison only, not a decision making body, and can only make recommendations to the Executive. Its role is supportive and supervisory, and is responsible for supporting the pastoral relationship between the staff and the congregation. It should encourage the ministry of the entire congregation, and provide feedback to the staff. Annual reviews with all staff are held to examine how their work has reflected the mission of the congregation, and if the work needs to be refocused or the mission re-examined. The committee reviews all matters pertaining to salaries and benefits, and makes recommendations to the Executive that are in keeping with United Church guidelines. At Manor Road, we try to provide with prayerful reflection the attentive ear, the encouraging word and the helping hand; in short, our ministry is to be examples of Christian discipleship.

• Pastoral Council
  In United Church congregations, the church boards and committees are entrusted with the responsibility to oversee the spiritual interests of the congregation.

The Session (which can have another name) has duties of oversight as set out in the United Church Manual. These include, among other things, “the order of public worship, including the service of praise”. The Pastoral Council is a subcommittee to do part of the work of Session.

The responsibilities of the Pastoral Council are three-fold: Outreach, Worship and Pastoral Care.

• The Outreach Focus Group attempts to carry out Jesus' mandate from his sermon in Luke 4: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me ...... to preach good news to the poor, release to the captives, sight to the blind and to set at liberty those who are oppressed."

Some of the responsibilities are: ecumenical and interfaith relations, emergency response (examples from the past: SENC's PARC clothing drive, The Tsunami Appeal, Beads of Hope HIV/AIDS Campaign), White Gifts, letter writing campaigns (e.g. Amnesty International), ecology (e.g. the United Church's current Water-in-Focus study), housing, refugees and peace issues.

• The Worship Focus Group recognizes that worship is the heartbeat of the Christian community. The purpose is to "celebrate the presence of God", who is revealed in the biblical story and uniquely in Jesus, the Word made flesh, and who by the Spirit is at work in the church and in the world". (Celebrate God's Presence, Preface xiii)

Some of the responsibilities are: recruitment of volunteers for Sunday worship (e.g. Communion servers, ushers and greeters), extra readers for special occasions, special events related to worship, Sunday School, child care, church music, budget for preachers, music and church flowers and decorations.

• The Pastoral Care Focus Group follows Jesus' example of visiting the sick and seeking to communicate God's presence through listening, offering support and keeping confidences.

Some of the responsibilities are: sending supportive cards and messages, offering training for visitation, telephoning and visiting, The Briton House and Ewart Angus Seniors' Church Services.

• United Church Women (UCW)
  The purpose of the United Church Women is to unite women of the congregation for the total mission of the church and to provide a medium through which they may express their loyalty and devotion to Jesus Christ in Christian Witness, Study, Fellowship and Service.

UCW is church-wide. We at Manor Road are kept informed of the work of the whole church through the Toronto South Presbyterial UCW and Toronto Conference UCW. Jean Ballinger has just completed a term as Co-President of Toronto South Presbyterial, and Isabelle Brown is continuing on as Recording Secretary.

Mary Murray is our Chairperson. We meet regularly on the third Tuesday of each month at 12:30 p.m. All women in the congregation are welcome. Our responsibilities include:

• Organize delivery of plants to sick and shut–ins at Easter and Christmas. Cards are sent to those who live out of town.
• Participation in the World Day of Prayer service in March for our area.
• Attendance at the Toronto South Presbyterial UCW Annual Meeting.
• Organizing teas at The Briton House twice a year for our members who reside there and for any others who wish to come.
• Fundraise by holding two Rummage Sales, Spring and Fall. We appreciate and depend on the help from others in the congregation.
• Hosting Coffee Hour in April and November and serving refreshments at the Congregation Christmas Luncheon.
• Our representative on Ina Grafton Gage Auxiliary is Eleanor Murray.
• Our contact person with Massey Centre is Jean Ballinger.
• Taking part in the Fall Fair at a bake table and jewellery table.
• Holding Pot Luck luncheons in June and December. Guests are the staff and those who have helped out at the rummage sales.
• Conducting a Sunday Thankoffering Service in October with a guest speaker. Financial offerings from this go to the Mission and Service Fund.
• Supporting financially the General Fund of our church by quarterly donations.
• All UCWs contribute to the Mission and Service Fund and we at Manor Road have a quarterly allocation. Nation-wide this contribution is substantial and is very important to the M & S Fund.  

We would be pleased to welcome you to join in any of our activities.

• Stewardship Council
  The responsibilities of the Stewardship Council include fundraising, building management and financial planning as detailed below.

• Management of the building which includes ongoing maintenance and repair. This work is performed by our church custodian and outside trades personnel. Space allocation of our premises with church groups and external organizations.

• Fundraising events are held annually - the Fall Fair, March Madness and Chicken Barbeque.

• The Stewardship Council is responsible for preparing a budget of income and expenses which is presented to the Executive Council and Congregation for approval, and for overseeing a stewardship campaign in the Fall.