GRACE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
Handbook of Lay Ministries
2013 Version (Rev. Jan. 21)
“In all service, the entire Christian assembly participates in such a way that the
members of each order within the Church, lay persons, bishops, priests, and
deacons, fulfill the functions proper to their respective orders, as set forth in the
rubrical directions for each service” (BCP, p. 13).
Adapted from St Stephen’s Handbook of Lay ministries:
The Acolytes Ministry is one of assisting those who perform the liturgies of the Church. Acolytes are parish youth or adults who assist bishops, priests, deacons and other lay ministers conducting a liturgy. They assist the congregation by acting as examples of when to do what in the service. Their ministry is always marked by servant-hood and is thus an authentic ministry of Christ.
The Altar Guild is responsible for the overall care of the altar of the church. Members maintain it in a quiet, efficient manner and make sure the necessary supplies to do so are on hand. They also prepare the altar for all services held during the year.
Lay Reader Ministry provides a lesson reader (Lector), and prayer reader (Intercessor), for each service and may assist the vicar at the altar.
The Lay Eucharistic Ministry (L.E.M.) assists the vicar as required at the altar and administers the Chalice to communicants during the Eucharist. It may also visit with and bring parish news to shut-in members of the congregation.
Music ministry is an important part of the life of Grace. Our congregation enjoys singing, and we sing a lot at the 10:30 a.m. service. An important part of this ministry is the Choir, a dedicated group of volunteers who rehearse weekly, September through May, and sing at the 10:30 a.m. service.
The Ushers are responsible for traffic control at the time of communion. They also hand out bulletins at the start of service, carry elements to the altar, take up the collection and return it to the altar, as well as record attendance at services.
The Vestry Person of the Month is available to administratively support and backup the activities of the other ministries. He or she also is a focal point for issues to be brought to the attention of the Vestry or Clergy.
This diagram shows the terms and locations used in this manual, just so we are all on the same page.
Table of Contents
ACOLYTES 4
ALTAR GUILD 6
LECTORS and INTERCESSORS 7
LECTORS – Reading the Lessons 7
INTERCESSORS -Leading the Prayers of the People 8
LAY EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS 10
MUSIC MINISTRY 12
USHER MINISTRY 14
SCHEDULING SYSTEM 15
Duties of the Scheduling Coordinator 15
Duties of the Volunteers 16
New Members of the Ministries 16
APPENDICES 17
A HANDBOOK FOR READERS AND INTERCESSORS 17
A HANDBOOK FOR USHERS 22
USHER FORM 29
ACOLYTES
Grace Episcopal Church enjoys a small group of dedicated acolytes that assists the clergy byperformingsignificant duties during religious services. Currently we are blessed to have several youth acolytes serving God on Sundays and for special services. Their hard work and dedication is a vital and important part of our services. There are also opening for adults to serve in this ministry.
Acolyte Master:
Katie Miller
Minna Doyle
Youth Acolytes:
Charlie Hatter
Julie Hatter
Hannah Rees
Gretchen Ladd
Ethan Miller
Zachary Miller
Adult Acolytes:
What is an acolyte?
An acolyte is also known as an altar server or an altar boy or girl. In fact, the origin of the word "acolyte" is from the Greek for "server."
What does an acolyte do during the Sunday Service?
They carry the cross, gospel, and sometimes banners during the procession. They assist the priest with setting the table for the communion or Eucharist. They receive the collections from the ushers and are responsible for the candles. They also may be called upon for special duties during the Christmas and Easter holidays.
Who can be an acolyte?
ANYONE! The beauty of being an acolyte is that anyone can help serve God. While acolytes are usually thought of being young men and women, any responsible person willing to sacrifice a little time can train to be an acolyte. Usually young people should be in at least 5th grade or 10 years old. However, depending on the maturity of the individual, a younger member may be allowed to join. This is up to the discretion of the Acolyte Master.
What is an Acolyte Master?
An Acolyte Master is an adult to whom responsibility for training and mentoring the Acolytes has been entrusted.
What about training?
Our Acolyte Master, TBD, provides complete training for all of our acolytes. Each prospective acolyte will go through a preparation course to familiarize them with the duties involved. They will be given a handbook to keep and to study by. There is no set time period on training. Whether it takes 2 weeks or 2 months, an acolyte won't be required to serve until she or he feels fully confident of the duties involved. A schedule will be mailed out periodically to acolytes to advise him or her the dates when they asked to serve.
What do they wear?
An alb, or robe. This will be loaned to the acolyte for services. They will also wear a rope cincture around the waist and a cross.
What else do Acolytes do?
HAVE FUN! Yes, that's right, being an acolyte is just not work, work, work. We like to do other things as a group to build up relationships and trust.
ALTAR GUILD
Altar Guild members are called to a nearly invisible servant ministry of
setting the scene for corporate worship. They ensure that the things
needful to worship are in place and that God is honored in the setting.
Description:
The members of the Altar Guild prepare and care for the vessels, linens, articles and supplies for the Eucharist, as well as for baptisms, weddings, burials and other special services. Guild members work on a rotating schedule, singly or in pairs. The Altar Guild at Grace is also responsible for the flowers when they are present for services. Members are scheduled, taught and overseen by the Chairperson of the Altar Guild, who also sees to the supplies and articles needed for worship. The Altar Guild functions under the direction of the clergy and supervising Chairperson.
Requirements:
This ministry does not require a license. Men and women who wish to be responsible “behind the scenes” for much of the smooth flow of the liturgy indicate such a desire to the Chairperson and/or the clergy, and are included in training and the rotation of duties. In addition to training in the local parish, diocesan-wide training and meetings are sometimes provided.
Summary of Responsibilities:
Set up the credence shelf with the Eucharistic vessels and appropriate linens and cruet(s), lavabo bowl and towel. See Altar Guild handbook for specific instructions.
• Set out the bread and wine prior to each service. See handbook for specific instructions for 8 AM and 10:30 AM services.
• Vest the altar with the Fair Linen (white cloth), corporal, chalice stacked for the appropriate service (see handbook) and the Eucharistic candles. Pulpit and lectern falls, are matched to the appropriate seasonal hangings.
• After the service, take all vessels and supplies to the sacristy. Wash and polish all vessels, and see that any consecrated elements are disposed of correctly and reverently and/or are stored in the aumbry. Put everything away.
• Launder the linens as necessary. Check to see that linens and hangings are in good repair.
Adapted from The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth Center for Ministry : Handbook on
Licensed Lay Ministry
LECTORS and INTERCESSORS:
Function
The function of Lectors is to read the Lessons in the Church’s liturgy as appointed to do so by the celebrant or officiate. Only in exceptional cases should the lessons be read by a deacon or priest.
The function of Intercessors is to read the Prayers of the People.
Qualifications for Lectors and Intercessors
1. Baptism.
2. Appointment to that function by the celebrant or officiate.
3. Ability to read clearly, audibly, and with the sense of the passage.
Notes
- Lectors do not vest and usually come up from the congregation to the lectern to read. The exception is when the Lector is also functioning as an acolyte, L.E.M., or member of the choir.
- Intercessors do not vest, and normally read the Prayers of the People from
within the congregation. The exception is when the Lector is also functioning as member of the choir.
LECTORS – Reading the Lessons
After opening prayers and the Gloria (if used) the officiate will ask the congregation to be seated for the reading of the lessons.
The Lector then moves from his/her position in the congregation to the lectern, located at position 6 on the church floor plan found on page 3 of this document. The Lector reads the Old Testament lesson, the appointed Psalm, and the Epistle or New Testament lesson. After the reading, the Lector returns to the congregation.
Practical Preparation
It is wise to pre-read the passage aloud to find the pace, rhythm and voice inflections most appropriate for the passage. Check pronunciations of difficult words with a Bible dictionary. There is a pamphlet in the Church office that has a list of proper pronunciations.
Read from the bulletin insert containing the readings. Place the insert on the lectern prior to the service, and leave it on the lectern after reading. Since the bulletin uses a small font, It may be helpful to “blow up” the bulletin to a larger size font using the copier in the office before the service.
Before starting to speak, adjust the microphone position if necessary. Before the service check the sound system power switch at the rear of the church to be sure the power is on.
Introductory Remarks
The readings may be introduced by brief remarks - 2 or 3 sentences, (not more than 30 seconds), to give the listener some understanding of the context of the passage, with regard to time, place, situation, when it was written and/or its relationship to the other readings for that day. A study bible is a good source for this information.
Both readings are announced as follows:
Prior to reading, the Lector may announce that the readings are found in the insert found in the bulletin. This is especially helpful to the congregation when reading the psalm responsively. After this announcement, pause briefly to give people time to find the insert before the lesson begins. Introduce the lesson using words like:
“A reading from First Thessalonians, Chapter 3, verses 9 through 13”
Or,
“A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Thessalonians”
At the end of the reading, pause before ending with the proclamation;
“THIS IS THE WORD OF THE LORD”.
The congregation responds, ““THANKS BE TO GOD”. Wait for the congregation to finish before stepping down after the last reading.
The Psalm is announced as follows:
“The psalm appointed for today is Psalm 25, verses 1 through 9. Let us read it together responsively by half verse.” It is permissible to also read responsively by full verse, or simply together, although “by half verse” is most often used at Grace.
At some services, such as during Holy Week, the usual bulletin is not available. Provide a Pew Bible page number reference for the congregation in those cases, and wait for people to find their place in the bible.
The Lector then begins reading, pausing at the asterisk if reading by “half verse”. It is important for the Lector to set a calm reading pace so that the congregation does not rush.
INTERCESSORS -Leading the Prayers of the People
1. It is important that the congregation understand that the Prayers of the People truly come from all of the people. Therefore, if practical, the Intercessor can lead from the midst of the people gathered. However, as with the Readings, it is very important the prayers be heard by the whole congregation. If a microphone is necessary to accomplish this, it should be used. The place from which the Prayers are led
would be selected with this in mind.
2. When introducing the Prayers of the People make clear to the congregation what the expected response is; in order to reinforce this, the Intercessor can introduce and join in the response.
3. It is important that the congregation’s actual concerns be expressed and that the intercessor makes space and time for people to verbally articulate their cares and joys, either aloud or in silence. During the prayers, provide for a moment of silence after each
intercession, to offer personal and private concerns either verbally or silently. We need to encourage people to uphold the whole human family and all of creation.
Preparing the Readings and Prayers
1. The Prayers of the People notebook is found on the table in the vestibule. Please arrive at least 10 minutes early to read through the prepared prayers. Also, check the bulletin: read through the order of service, read the appointed Scripture readings and note the prayer focus.