UCP is a lay led church.  This means our parishioners take very active roles in leading UCP's board, ministries, councils and committees.  With all the activities that we have going on at UCP, there are many opportunities to get involved!

Parish Board

The Parish Board is the governing body of UCP.  It is comprised of the active membership of the parish.  The board meets at 7:30p on the fourth Monday of each month to plan and oversee parish operations.  Members and friends of the church are welcome to attend board meetings.

Leaders in key roles for the 2012-13 year are listed in the following sections.  Please contact them with any questions you have!  The board consists of these members, plus the Ministerial Team and six non-voting first year members.    

Parish Board Leadership

  • Board Moderator -- Jerry Hebenstreit
  • Lay Leader -- Steve Lambakis

Ministry Chairpersons/Co-chairpersons

                Christian Education --Jeff Smith, Mitch Chambliss
                Congregational Life -- Jim Vollmer/Penny Johnson
                Missions -- Fran McKelvey/John Moore
                Stewardship/Finance -- Bob Reed/Donna Harris
                Witness -- Menda Ahart/Kathy Schauer-Schmidt
                Worship --Sara McAlpine/Joe Bocchairo

Ecumenical Liaisons

  • Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) -- Jesse Torgerson 
  • Presbyterian Church (USA) -- Bernie Lynn 
  • United Church of Christ -- Cheryl Fields 
  • United Methodist Church -- Rachel Wood 

Council Chairpersons

  • Human and Administrative Resource Council -- Claudia Stallings 
  • Trustees Council -- Al Stevens 

 Parish Ministries Council

The Parish Ministries Council (PMC) is chaired by the Lay Leader and consists of the chairs of all UCP Ministries, the Ministerial Team and representatives of the Trustees Council, HARC, and the Ecumenical Council. Its primary function is communication among its member representatives, through calendaring, brief reports, and informal discussion of program topics and events that arise in the various ministries or councils. In order to accomplish this function, the PMC meets bi-monthly. This forum is a venue for members to raise questions, brainstorm, ask for help, and work together to accomplish the Parish tasks of scheduling, planning, doing, and publicizing events and coordinating overall program development. We benefit by discovering gaps, overlaps, and opportunities to reinforce each other's program goals, while gaining a broader understanding that helps each of us to advance the work of UCP's ministries and councils.

Ecumenical Council

The Ecumenical Council (EC) has the primary responsibility for establishing, maintaining and enhancing communications and interactions with our affiliated denominations, and the interfaith community in the Reston area.  The voting membership of the Ecumenical Council shall consist of the four denominational liaisons, each serving for one year during their third year of elected Board service, and one designated Ministerial Team member.  The Ecumenical Council maintains mutual relations with our denominations. The EC has four goals:

  1. increase awareness and education of the congregation in ecumenical and interfaith matters and issues of our four denominations

  2. promote existing and new avenues of ecumenical cooperation within the Reston community and through our affiliation with wider-ranging ecumenical organizations

  3. guide lay and ministerial leadership to better meet the requirements of our interdenominational responsibilities, and 

  4. strengthen our working ties to and knowledge of the four affiliated denominations.