Church Council met April 7th. Church Council is the governing board for Signal Crest business and is made up of representatives from all ministry areas of the church, lay leaders, committee chairs, and at-large members. Your 2019 Church Council representatives can be found by  clicking here .

To better understand the governance of both the United Methodist Church and Signal Crest UMC, please  click here  to download an overview provided by our own Trusted Leadership team.


To help keep you in the loop, here is a summary of what was discussed during the April 7th meeting:

Lynn Lancaster , Chair of the Staff Parish Relations Committee , reported:
  • The new Senior Pastor has been appointed and will be approved at the Holston Annual Conference in June. In keeping with the Holston Conference Pastoral Appointment process, Lynn will announce the new Senior Pastor at all three services on May 5th. Our new pastor's family will move their personal items to the Parsonage at 308 Laurel Street in early June and will officially assume the duties of Senior Pastor on June 19th. The new pastor's first Sunday to preach will be July 7th and we will host a Burgers and Bingo event on July 17th for everyone in the church to meet the new pastor and their family.
  • Rev. Doug Fairbank's last Sunday to preach will be June 16th. We will host a reception for him and Carolyn that same day at 10:00 am in the Crest Center. Please stop by to say thank you to them both for their second round of service to Signal Crest and to wish them well in retirement.
  • Our new worship leader has been hired for the Crest Service (pending background check). Watch for a church wide announcement soon with more details.
  • Interviews are beginning for the Director of Children's ministry position. We expect to announce a hire for this position by mid May.
  • Rev. Doug Fairbanks and Carolyn are hosting an Open House at the Parsonage on April 28th after the 11:00 am service. Please stop by and see 308 Laurel Street with its recent improvements, making it a home for our pastors and their families. Light refreshments will be served.

Doranne Lane, Chair of Missions , reported on many areas where Signal Crest is impacting the community and world:
  • We serve between 60 and 80 homeless people at First-Centenary UMC in downtown Chattanooga the second Sunday of every month through Mustard Tree Ministries.
  • In our Howard Ministry, we are currently collecting dorm room and college supplies for graduating seniors, providing a teacher appreciation meal on May 6th, and providing dinners for the baseball team away games.
  • John Maynard, Jr. will be heading up a home repair weekend for a local home in need.
  • We will be feeding 120 children and counselors at the Bethlehem Center the week of July 8th-12th.
  • We will once again participate in the Holston Conference Hands-on Mission Project. Our goal this year is to prepare 50 hygiene buckets for underprivileged children in Zimbabwe. You can find more information soon in the newsletter as well as in the Narthex and the Crest Center.
  • Our Firewood Ministry, led by Jeff Simmons, has been working tirelessly this winter to provide eight families with firewood needed to warm their homes and, in some cases, provide heat for cooking. We estimate that over 75 loads of wood were delivered this past winter. More volunteers are needed for this ministry when work days take place. For more information, contact Jeff Simmons (jwsimmons0@tva.gov).
  • We are again sending a missions team to Casa Hogar, an orphanage in Mexico. We have ten people going with room for five more. If you are interested in learning more, contact Jeff Culbertson (jefftculbertson@gmail.com).
  • Signal Crest is currently helping to support two Missionaries in Alaska, Joe-d and Christina DowlingSoka. They work in an impoverished area providing firewood, meals, and other needed items for the community. We are hoping to send a missions team from Signal Crest to this area in Alaska in 2020 or 2021.
  • John Maynard, Jr. is planning an adult Appalachian Service Project (ASP) weekend in the Fall. Look for more information to come.
  • Rev. Doug Fairbanks reminded Church Council of Signal Crest's legacy in the missions arena as we ran the first-ever free medical clinic in the State of Tennessee many years ago. Also, the first-ever habitat home in Chattanooga was due in large part to the efforts of Signal Crest.

For more information on all of our missions Signal Crest is involved in, please visit the Missions webpage here .

Mitchell Johnson , Associate Lay Leader for Elevated Warmth , spoke about our Easter Egg Hunt and Community Sing as part of the Signal Mountain Centennial Celebration. This Sunday, April 14th at 3:00 pm we will have a fun egg hunt, food, games, bounce houses, and groups from within Signal Crest and the community entertaining us with great music. We invite everyone to come on out and spread the word to your friends and neighbors!

Rev. Doug Fairbanks , Senior Pastor , shared his excitement over Youth Sunday and seeing children he baptized up on the pulpit as Seniors in high school. He gave a special thank you to Allan Ledford, Director of Music, for his fantastic work with all ages, from children to older adults. Doug also shared that he held a Coffee with the Pastors event on March 31st for potential new members and he is thrilled that we have a growing list of families and individuals who wish to become members of Signal Crest.

Travis Close , with the Scouts (formerly Boy Scouts), again discussed Signal Crest officially chartering a female-only Scout troop. Church Council approved a resolution to allow the formation of a female Scout troop chartered by Signal Crest. If you have a daughter interested in Scouts, contact Travis Close ( tclose@realtycenter.com ).

In partnership,
Mark Smith
Chair, Church Council

P.S. The next Church Council meeting will be May 19 at 6:30 pm in the Interpreter’s Room. All are welcome to attend.

The approved minutes from the March 3 meeting may be found by clicking here .