Main Entrance
Greeter
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Arrive about 15 minutes before worship service.
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Put on Greeter name tag from table near
sanctuary doors.
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Stand near front entrance. Conversation is fine,
but please watch the door.
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Watch for visitors and newcomers. (How can you
tell? Is the face unfamiliar? Does the person seem a little lost
or uncertain, more befuddled than most members of Hope?)
Make initial welcoming contact, help orient them, give them
information on the MCC set-up, and get them to the right
sanctuary. Connect them with the greeter at the sanctuary. Try to
talk with them after service.
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Feel free to give feedback on your experience.
Sanctuary Greeter
Before the Service
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Arrive about 20 minutes before the start of church.
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Put on a “Greeter” tag. They should be in a basket on the
table with the visitors’ book OR (located in a basket on the
hymnal cart in the closet).
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Check the bulletin; if all the hymns are not printed in the
bulletin, bring out the hymnal cart from the closet. Put it in
an obvious place so people can get hymnals before taking their
seats.
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Place the bulletins on the music stand--tipped almost
horizontal. Leave plenty of space (8-10 feet at least) between
the doorway and the stand.
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Stand at the sanctuary doorway and greet everyone.
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If you are physically capable of helping, when the pianist
arrives, ask if he/she would like help uncovering the piano and
putting the top up.
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At the time for beginning of the service (10:15 or 9:30)
close the sanctuary doors; The pianist's prelude may continue
longer.
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Newcomers/visitors should be given special attention,
*Offer a stick-on name tag but don’t insist on it. These should
be on the table, with a broad Sharpie. (They may have been moved
to the table with the members’ nametag boxes.)
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Ask visitors to sign the visitors’ book, which should be
kept on the table outside the Covenant Room entrance.
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Remind them of coffee after church.
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Offer to seat them by some "friendly folks." They may wish
to remain anonymous or choose where they want to sit--please
honor that choice.
During the Service
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For a while, sit near back and welcome those who
come in late with a bulletin and, if needed, a hymn book.
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If hymnal is required for this service and
someone has forgotten to pick one up, bring them a hymnal.
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At appropriate time pass the offering plates.
The plates will be mostly empty because many people directly
deposit into the church's account their titles and offerings.
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Take the offering plates back up to the front
when people stand and begin singing the Doxology, when people
stand to sing and offertory piano music is over. Either hand the
plates to the minister or place them on the altar.
After the Service
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If either greeter is physically capable, he/she
should help pianist by putting piano lid back down and cover
back on. Ask pianist if water needs to put put in piano
humidifier. If so, volunteer to assist.
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Clean up the area, putting area hymnals and
throwing away any refuse lying on floor.
Communion Pray-er
Come forward with the Communion Servers to receive communion
first. Then take your place in the front and at the side of the
sanctuary. When someone approaches you, ask what their prayer need
is. After you hear that, take their hands in yours, pause for a few
moments of silence as you ask God to give you the right words to
pray. Then pray aloud so the other person can hear, but not so loud
that lots of people can hear. If you are waiting for folks to come
and pray with you, please hold the entire congregation in prayer as
we partake of communion.
Communion Servers
Before Sunday morning,
please confer with your partner to decide who will buy and bake the
GLUTEN FREE BREAD. We buy Udi's which you can get at most grocery
stores, but call and check if yours carries it. One of you then
bakes it prior to the service. The loaf of bread should be cut at
least 1/2 the way through, so the minister can break the bread
easily. The people taking communion will tear off pieces of bread so
you don't have to do any more with the bread after cutting it
partly.
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Arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the service
to prepare the Eucharist Elements. Serving items are in the
lower cupboard to the right, next to the sink; juice and wine
are in the refrigerator. Cloth napkins and containers are in the
cupboard above the sink or in the drawer next to the sink.
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Fill one chalice with wine and another,
different colored chalice with grape juice.
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Before the service, place all items on the
communion table.
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When the pastor gives the signal, the Communion
Preparers will go to the altar.
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You will then receive communion, before the rest
of the congregation. After receiving communion you will help
serve. One of you will carry the cup with wine. The other will
have the cup of grape juice. ??do the worship assistants offer
the grape juice and wine and what words do they use. "the blood
of Christ shed for you" I don't know and need help here.
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After the service, Wash and dry chalices and
bread plate. Return items to cupboard.
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Take towels and napkins home to be laundered and
Bring clean linens back. [Tip: after laundering, place linens in
plastic bag in your car—next time you are at church it will be
there.]
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Liturgist
1 Person
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You will receive a bulletin and
Scripture readings in the mail from Sonja prior to the Sunday.
Practice readings; resolve any pronunciation needs by asking the
pastor.
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Arrive early enough on Sunday morning to
check in briefly with pastor for clarification or last minute
adjustments of reading plans or other information about the
service.
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Read sections of the liturgy assigned to
you (typically Call to Worship and Opening Prayer, Scripture
reading, and Prayer of Dedication after the offering
(non-communion Sundays) and direct the Congregation at the
appropriate times during the service: When there is a unison
reading, it is helpful to lead the congregation into it by using
a phrase like, “Let us read together….”
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For combined MCC services, you will
again receive the text you are to read, probably by email. You
will only be reading scripture; pastors lead the service.
Children's Message
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Contact the pastor for the Biblical text
which will be used as the basis for the sermon or the Theme of
the Day. Develop a single concept . Your message must be brief
(5-7 minutes.) Tell it through at home to make sure it is not
too long. The sermon is approximately 15 minutes so your
lesson should be less than half that time and not too
complicated - consider a single theme or idea and expand on it.
Use examples or short stories from your own life or from the
children's lives to illustrate the point.
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Feel free to consult with the minister
for suggestions or input. You are not re-telling the Biblical
text. Take a part of the text that appeals to you and relate it
to your life and to the lives of the children. Or tell them
something that they, as well as the rest of the congregation,
will find interesting.
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Use inclusive language and images.
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If using a children's book, tell
the story. Use only pictures from a book and only
if necessary or helpful to illustrate your point.
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Please use a microphone and make
sure it is close to your mouth so that the entire congregation
can hear your message to the children. You can pick it up when
you come into the sanctuary. Ask for help if you need it.
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Use props and visuals whenever possible!
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Repeat (summarize)
children's answers/comments so the congregation
will know what has been said and can share in the experience.
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Please pray briefly with the children at
the end of your message. A simple sentence or two is enough.
This helps children understand that prayer is a natural part of
even small events and it is a good role model for them to
experience people other than the pastor praying.
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Feel free to use a chair or a stool to
deliver your message if that is more comfortable.
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