First United Methodist Church

First United Methodist Church

1224 Legion Way SE

Olympia, WA 98501

360-943-2661

www.fumcoly.org

12/15/2010

The Ministry

of

Welcoming

A Ministry Guide

for Ushers

2 Dear friend, when you extend hospitality to Christian brothers and sisters, even when they are strangers, you make the faith visible. They've made a full report back to the church here, a message about your love. It's good work you're doing, helping these travelers on their way, hospitality worthy of God himself!

(3 John, vs 5-6)

Introduction

If we viewed each person who came to our church doors as sent by God, how would that change how we greet one another? Hospitality is recognizing Christ in everyone we meet and then acting accordingly.

Ushers are the hosts for worship; you set the tone of welcoming into the congregation. It is vital that all who have come to worship with us know that we are a faith community that takes seriously its biblical view of hospitality. Your presence alone may meet their need for a godly connection; perhaps it has been a difficult week or one full of joy. In either case, your greeting and smile can say, “it’s good that you are here.” As you serve in this ministry, keep this guide in mind.

Purpose

These guidelines and instructions are offered to support your ministry as an usher. In particular, the following areas are included:

· Before the service

· Picking up Prayer Cards

· Attendance taking

· Receiving the Offering

· Presenting the Offering

· Assistance to the Communion Rail

· After the service

· Emergencies

· Return after all have exited and extinguish all candles.

· Check the pews for anything left behind; clean pews up.

· Make sure that the family will be taking any flowers, or make arrangements, if they wish to leave them for a Sunday service.

· Bring flowers out into the foyer.

· Return all items to the Ushers’ Closet that were used during the service.

· After all is done, have a cookie and glass of punch at the reception!

· Check order of worship service and check for lighting needs if audio visuals will be used.

· Check with family and be sure they know what the procedures will be; pastor often meets with family before the service.

25 minutes before the Service

· Have one usher stand down in front in the middle aisle with bulletins in hand and seat people close to the front. Standing down there indicates to people to move forward.

· The other usher stands by sanctuary doors and encourages people to move forward.

· Meet the family at the side door when they enter (about 5 minutes before service begins) and give out bulletins to them; indicate where they are to sit.

· After family is seated, exit by the center aisle.

· Once the service has started, seat latecomers in the back or side if there are seats.

· Do not disturb congregation seated in front of latecomers.

· Place extra bulletins on the table; family and others often take extras.

Postlude

· During Postlude, move to the front and ask the family to follow the pastor (or pastor will follow them) to exit through the side door. Occasionally, the family will want to exit by the center aisle; pastor will let you know.

Dismiss the congregation row by row, starting at the front, via the center aisle.

· Special Worship Services

Also included in this guide are instructions for the ministry of the head usher on hand and that of all ushers, as well as general instructions.

DUTIES AND EXPECTATIONS

Before the Service

· Arrive 15 minutes before the service begins.

· Take a moment to pray when you arrive at the church, thanking God for your share in this ministry, and asking God to bless the people you will meet and to use you as an instrument of Christ’s hospitality.

· Do a quick check of the pews and racks before the service to be sure that the last ushers have taken care of everything. Supplies for pews are kept in the Usher Closet just outside of the Gathering Place doors.

· Be present just outside the doors to the sanctuary to provide worship bulletins and offer a friendly face. Newcomers may be self-conscious, so be a low-key helper to them.

· Check the table placed just outside the sanctuary doors to see if there is anything else there to give to worshipers along with the bulletin. If in doubt about something, ask one of the clergy.

· Take note of whom is present to be an usher; you will need four for most services. If you are short, consider whom you might ask and do so.

· Be sure to offer bulletins to all persons, especially children, to let them know they are expected and welcome. Be sure hearing devices are available.

· Ask guests and newcomers where they would like to sit and take them there; they can be very unsure about where they can sit.

· Be watchful to see if acolytes need help to light their wands. Lighters for them are in the Usher Closet.

· Know where to point newcomers to for more information if you do not know something: main office counter or Information Booth across from counter.

Picking up Prayer Cards

· During the first or second hymn or song, walk down the side aisle, holding up a sample prayer card, walk slowly back. Keep watch for cards being sent down the pews to you.

· When you have collected them, have one usher take them up to one of the clergy in the front row.

Attendance (taken prior to the Offertory)

· Count everyone in the Chancel area above the rail (choir, clergy, band members).

· Count everyone in the pews (expect your count to change with the arrival of late-comers); it is perfectly fine to walk down the side aisle to take the count.

· Record the numbers on the attendance slip and place the slip in the bulletin box that will be returned to the worktable in the workroom off of the main office.

Receiving the Offering

· One of the pastors will speak about the offering before you are to go forward. They will cue you when to come forward.

· If there are acolytes, they will stand in front of the center aisle to hand the first pair of ushers a plate each. (Second pair of ushers carry plates from the back.)

During the Offertory, gather the money offering pew by pew, beginning with the front pews and working your way to the back. One person should be taking the offering in the balcony. At the 11:15 service only, the plates are brought forward again during the singing of The Doxology.

Special Instructions for Memorial Services

One Hour Before the Service is to Begin

· Arrive 1 hour before the service is to begin.

· Open the Ushers’ Closet

o Find the red velvet reserved signs and put them on the pews where the family will sit, depending upon what side they desire. Check with presiding clergy for position and number of pews needed.

o Get out the hearing aid units and place on the table just outside the sanctuary doors.

o Get out Kleenex tissue and place in the center of the family row.

· Be sure that there is a table with a cloth over it at the entrance to the sanctuary for the guest book, flowers, basket and hearing aids.

· Put out a large basket on the table for cards and notes for the family.

· Turn on lights for the sanctuary.

· Light candles on the altar.

· Arrange flowers on the altar and around the altar and Chancel area; use a smaller flower vase for the table in the foyer.

· Check with sound person to see if they need anything.

· Check all pews for cleanliness.

· Get the bulletins from the workroom off of the main office if they are not in the Ushers’ Closet.

· Place a bulletin on the organ, piano, lectern, sound system cabinet for sound person.

· Be sure that memorial banners are up on the front walls.

• Aisles and exits are to be kept clear at all times. No seating on the stairs.

• All candles are to be extinguished before moving from the pews.

• Gloves will be provided for staff to remove glass chimneys, if necessary.

• Be Attentive:

Special Instructions for Easter Services

USUAL EASTER SCHEDULE

7:00 a.m. Sunrise service at Forest Cemetery

8:45 a.m. Easter Celebration Service at the Church

11:00 a.m. Community Easter Service at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts

When to Arrive

· Ushers for the 8:45 a.m. service should be in the foyer 30 minutes before the service begins.

· Ushers for the 11:00 a.m. service will need to attend training put on by the WCPA a month before the event; you will need to report 1 hour before the service begins for assignments on the various floors.

What to Do

· Ushers for the 8:45 a.m. service can follow the guidelines for regular services listed earlier in this booklet.

· Users for the 11:00 a.m. service at the WCPA should check in with the Head Usher for assignment. Ushers at the Center have more responsibilities than just handing out bulletins at the Center.

Presenting the Offering (at the more traditional service or any special service when instructed by the presiding clergyperson)

· Have two ushers be ready to take all plates, stacked on one another, back up to the acolytes (if they are there) or all the way to the altar (if no acolytes), during the singing of The Doxology.

· Place the plates on the altar and step back until the Offertory Song/Prayer is completed.

· Return to the back of the sanctuary.

· Occasionally there may be additional offerings taken. Please facilitate their presentation at the same time as the other gifts or as directed by presiding clergy.

Assistance to Communion

· Stand at the rear of the sanctuary ready for the presiding clergy’s call to come forward; listen where presiding clergy asks you to begin, front or rear; direct persons row by row. Be aware of those who need physical assistance. Some people actually want you to take their arm. Be prepared if one should stumble.

· Send up the communicants about 15 at a time for communion. It is more acceptable to have one or two people standing in front and waiting than to have servers wait for more than a few seconds, especially when we have a large number of communicants.

· Possible exceptions: At weddings, funerals and very special events, send up the family/special guests first. Ask the presiding clergyperson prior to the service for instructions.

· Note if there are persons wishing communion to be brought to them at their seat. The servers who have been in the balcony are available and ready to provide this assistance.

· The ushers may take communion last.

After the Service

· See that the church is cleaned up after the service.

· Go row by row, starting at the front, and remove any leftover items. Throw garbage away. Take forgotten items immediately to the main office.

· Tear out the registration sheets for the service at each pew and place them in the bulletin box. Extra, unused bulletins from 8:45 can be left for the next service. Return box to workroom; attendance count on the top.

· Be aware that the clergy may leave bulletins, sheets, Bibles or keys in the front pew; they will return to get them after the service so don’t put them in the bulletin box.

· At all times be aware of newcomers and visitors who may need direction to the Hospitality Table for coffee hour or other areas of the church building for childcare or classes. Escorting them to the Hospitality Table or where they need to go (or finding someone to do so) is more valuable than servicing the pews; you can return later to put the pews in order.

Head Usher

· Arrive at least 20 minutes before the service is to begin.

· Go to the workroom off of the main office to get the service’s bulletin box.

· Check to see if there is anything additional that needs to be handed out with the bulletin.

· Be ready to pass out bulletins to other ushers, answer questions, etc. If an additional usher is needed, decide who that should be and ask them.

· Either take the count of the congregation or have someone else do it and record the number on count slip and place in the bulletin box; include latecomers.

· Make sure that two ushers (and balcony) are selected to pick up the Prayer Cards and cards are delivered to

aisles, half way down the side aisles, near the sound console in the balcony, and at the opposite side of the balcony under the first pew. One usher should be near each bucket during the time candles are being lit until all are extinguished. Also note the location of the nearest fire extinguisher.

After the Service

· As people leave following each service be especially aware of any bumping of the aisle candles; they aren’t as fragile as they used to be but the glass could fall out of the holder.

· After the service, pick up bulletins, papers, etc. to ready the sanctuary for the next service.

· Attendance sheets need to be collected from booklets at the end of each pew.

· All materials are to be returned to the church office workroom.

· A staff member will replace the aisle and sconce candles, as necessary.

SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

• Make certain you know the location of fire extinguishers and water buckets beforehand.

• Understand the evacuation routes so that you can direct rows of people to them.

• No additional chairs are to be brought into the overflow areas other than those that have been placed there. There will be a maximum of 28 in the overflow area (behind the last row of pews) and 106 in the foyer. These numbers are mandated as maximum