At Calvin, the congregation is divided into groups of people we call
parishes. This is a common practice at many churches, and is a way to make
sure that everyone who is part of the church family is also part of a
smaller grouping. These groupings are watched over - shepherded, if you
will - by deacons. We have 13 parishes at Calvin, each of which is assigned a
single deacon or, in several cases, a married couple. The parishes have
anywhere from 8 to 12 families or individuals in them.

Among the duties of deacons is to facilitate a family quality among us
through a ministry of sympathy, encouragement, witness and care-giving.
Deacons are called to be loving servants to the body of Christ. It's a high
calling, and those who fill this role work alongside friends who personify
what it means to be a dedicated servant.

Deacons aim to facilitate true fellowship - not the tea and coffee variety,
but the kind where we encourage one another, build one another up in faith,
to pray with and for one another, to learn from one another, and to set one
another examples to follow. We've done with this occasional times of
extended fellowship, with the Calvin arts show, with countless calls, cards
and visits that deacons have made to individuals in the church, and through
set-up and clean-up of monthly communion. The deacons also organize an
annual Parish Sunday event every spring.