Altar Guild: Four individuals comprise the Altar Guild as part of the Worship committee. This allows each person to be responsible for 3 months of the year. Duties include (but are not limited to) setting up the altar for Sunday services and weddings. This involves changing the colors of the paraments as set by the Liturgical calendar, filling the oil candles, changing the altar candles, preparing the chapel for Sunday church school services, ordering altar flowers monthly, and the ordering and placement of Christmas poinsettias and Easter lilies for the sanctuary altar.

Refugee Resettlement Ministry: Our congregation continues to support two refugee families at the church-owned property. We welcome all who can give their time and/or donated items.  If you are interested in being part of the Refugee Resettlement Team, contact  Ben Adams at bjadams0105@gmail.com . How can you help out?  

• Join our tutoring team – we tutor refugee kids on Wednesday nights

• Help out with fundraisers like car washes,

• help out by one-on-one English practice with one of the adult refugees,

• help out with various tasks to help the new family integrate into our community – set up appointments, help with getting drivers license, etc.
   

VIM & VIGOR: represents a new adult mission community at Baker Memorial United Methodist Church.  The mission of this group is to provide adult opportunities to work with our neighbors near and far who battle hunger, poverty and disasters.  In the past, this group of intrepid volunteers has ventured to New Orleans to assist Habitat for Humanities to build homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, collected school supplies for children in Haiti and worked at the Midwest Mission Distribution Center near Springfield Illinois.  Each year we plan two to three opportunities that touch the hearts of those who volunteer and perhaps touch the hearts of those who we assist.  Some trips are designed for adults only, some include family participation.  Please contact Jan McPeak in the church office if you have interest or questions: info@bakermemorialchurch.org

United Methodist Women: Baker Memorial United Methodist Church has six active circles open to all women:

• Esther Circle 4th Monday of the month at various locations. Chairs to be contacted are Mandy Hale and Daniel Wukitsch.
   

• Phoebe Circle 9:30 A.M. - 2nd Tuesday of the month at 9:30 in the parlor. Chaired by Kristin Fischer and Sharon Wadelin is geared to moms to tweens and teens.

• Sarah Circle 12:30 P.M. - 4th Wednesday The circle of retired women meet in the parlor for a program and dessert. Contact Joan Arteberry Zavitz for information.
   

• Lydia Circle 6:30 P.M. - 4th Week - Day of the week varies. The circle of working and retired women meet in the church parlor or members homes. They also hold monthly birthday parties at the Illinois Youth Center. This circle consists of working women of all ages. Contact Jan Mc Peak if you have questions.
   

• Ruth Circle 7:00 P.M. - 4th Wednesday. Mostly retired women meet in members' homes or at church for a program and dessert. Call Mary Linebarger if you have questions.
   

• Miriam Circle 12:30 on the 3rd Sunday of the month. Sponsored by Jennifer Swenson and Sarah Hardwick, this is a made up of girls from grades 4-8.
   

• Rebecca Circle 10:30 on the 2nd Sunday of the month. This high school circle of young women is sponsored by Paula Hall and Ginny
  Swiatek.
   

United Methodist Men: Membership in Baker Memorial's United Methodist Men is open to all men of the church. A Bible Study is held from 7:00-8:00 am Thursdays in Wiley Hall. UMM provides support for church programs such as the Appalachia Service Project (fund raising) and Homecoming Sunday (setting up tables), and the Fall Festival. Work Days are scheduled periodically to maintain and improve the church building and grounds. UMM coordinates our church's bell ringing for the Salvation Army each Christmas and makes periodic contributions to support community services, such as CASA-Kane County.

Stephen Ministry: The Stephen Ministry, a system of training and organizing lay persons for a care-giving ministry in and around their congregation, has been active at Baker Memorial Church since 1995. Pastors, church staff and lay leaders attend a seven-day Leader's Training Course before starting the program in their church. Our program, was formed after Rev. Al Patten and several members of our congregation received Leader's Training in St. Louis, MO. When they returned, the Leaders recruited lay people from our congregation to be trained as Stephen Ministers. After 50 hours of training in Christian care giving, these lay persons were commissioned as Stephen Ministers. Stephen Ministry Leaders then link each Stephen Minister with a care receiver--a member of the congregation or community who is in need of quality Christian care. A Stephen Minister normally is assigned to only one care receiver at a time, and meets with the care receiver for an average of about one hour each week. The Stephen Minister provides a "listening ear" and offers Christian caring and prayer. Confidentiality is of prime importance. The Stephen Ministers meet twice monthly for peer supervision and continuing education. Church Contact: Cary Couts

Greeters: Sign up to greet before worship on Sunday mornings! Contact a pastor to volunteer.
 

Communion Servers: Communion Servers are needed the first Sunday of each month during the 9:00 a.m. service and every Sunday during 10:30 a.m. services.
 

Counters: Two people are needed each Sunday to count the offering after each service. Each counter is assigned one Sunday each month and is given a list of six substitute counters. It takes approximately two hours to count the offering for both services. If you are interested in being a counter, contact the church office. Church Contact: Bill Staples
 

Ushers: Each of the Baker Memorial United Methodist Church services requires ushers. Usher duties involve greeting visitors, passing out bulletins, seating people, taking the collection, helping with communion, collecting prayer cards, and cleaning the sanctuary after each service. They may also be asked to usher for special services. Once the ushers are assigned to a particular service they will usher that service once a month. If interested please contact the church office. Church Contacts: John Wredling (9:00 a.m. service) or Bill Brownsey (10:30 a,m, service)