Notes for Guidance of Ushers

 

1.      MARK YOUR CALENDAR NOW.  If you are unable to serve at the appointed time, arrange for a substitute and notify the office of the change not later than Tuesday before service.

 

2.      Please arrive 15-20 minutes before the service to be sure that the pews are cleared and if special needs exist, such as reserved seats for baptisms or to collate sheets.   Wear your USHER name tag or the special AUSHER@ pin.  The Team Captain should meet in the office with the rector 10 minutes before the service for instructions.

3.      Please ensure that while welcoming persons that everyone in the Narthex observes a respectful and meditative atmosphere.  Once the procession has started, ushers should take a position at the aisle end and motion for latecomers to wait in the Narthex until breaks suitable for seating (when the congregation is starting to sit or stand or a reader is going to/from the lectern).

Cindy has requested that the front door remain closed after the service has started.  We have experimented with posting one usher at the foot of the stairs outside to direct latecomers to the side door (for about the first 10 minutes of the service), and that seems to work well.

4.  Distribute service bulletins as you greet people, one per family.  Large type service bulletins, Prayer Books, and Hymnals are available in the Narthex.  Crayons and children=s bulletins are also available.

5.      Please do your best to recognize visitors or newcomers or anyone who seems lost.  All visitors and newcomers should have the yellow 4-fold Welcome brochure, even if they are accompanied by a member of St. James (the greeters usually distribute these).  If they have children, give them the information about the Sunday School.  If necessary, recruit someone to bring the family downstairs.  Newcomers sometimes need to be ushered to a pew.  Latecomers may also need help finding a seat.

6.      If you see someone unknown without a yellow colored 4-fold Welcome brochure, introduce yourself . . . the phrase “I don=t think I know you, my name is . . .@ works well! If the person is new, refer to the Greeter who may be at the front door. This is especially important for persons coming in from the parish hall.  Attempt to ensure that all visitors sign the guest book.  (If a visitor is with a member, make sure they still get the yellow brochure. The member may not know about the welcome brochure. If the accompanied visitor is a local person (not a relative, etc), ask a Greeter to help.

7.      Check to see if anyone is scheduled to carry the elements or other gifts to the altar (and arrange for persons if none are scheduled or if the persons scheduled are absent).  A white loose-leaf notebook at the back narthex table has the schedules for all groups serving at the worship. A schedule for the week is on top of this book.  The Sunday School director may also appoint a class to act as oblationers.  Let the SS know before the service begins if they are to participate.

8.      When doing the attendance count after the New Testament readings, be sure to count the children=s church, nursery/cribbery, youth at confirmation class in the parish hall, and other groups. As accurate a count as possible is very helpful.  (Obtain SS and youth count at the Prayers of the People).

9.      Unless otherwise directed by a Sunday School director at the beginning of the 10:30 service, remember to advise the Sunday School and the confirmation class in the Parish Hall at the Prayers of the People and the Sunday School at the Memorial Acclamation that it is time for communion.

10.    After the passing of the peace, the ushers should be positioned at the back of the sanctuary and wait for a signal from either the Priest, Acolyte, Organist, or Choir Director to proceed to the altar to get the alms basins and deliver the elements.  (The oblationers carrying the wine and bread proceed AT THIS TIME ahead of the ushers.)

11.    After collecting the offering, the ushers should organize the presentation process as follows: leading off are one or two ushers carrying the alms basins, followed next by any special offering or presentation. Note:  the basket containing the Sunday School offering should be placed in the alms basin.  The Sunday School director may appoint a child from the Sunday School to walk down the aisle with the ushers to present their offering.  Finally, the food baskets that were under the narthex table are presented.  Proceed down the aisle with the offerings immediately when the doxology begins.  Only the food presenters should proceed inside the communion rails. All others should wait at the bottom of the steps for the acolyte, crucifer or chalicer to collect the alms or other gifts.  DO NOT TAKE TO THE ALTAR ANY FOOD THAT IS STORED IN THE CLOSET UNLESS SPECIFICALLY INSTRUCTED.

12.    Determine how many persons are serving the bread for the purposes of traffic flow at Communion and keep the rails full until everyone is served.  Ensure that all persons in the back and loft who wish to have received communion.  Inform the priest if anyone who wishes to take communion is unable to come to the altar rail.

13.    Normally 2 ushers should package the offertory in the sacristy after the service. (The offerings in the alms basins are blessed and left on the altar during the service.)  Include the attendance slip in the envelope of money placed in the safe and marked with the names of who placed the envelope there.  The Sunday School offering should be packaged separately, identified as SS offering, and marked with the date.  If a member of the food ministry has not done so, take the food baskets from the altar and place them in the closet in the back on the south side.

14.    After the service, collect all bulletins and other materials left in the pews, reset the prayer rails and straighten the hymnals and prayer books, in addition to packing the offering (see 12 above) if the money is still on the altar. Recycle waste paper.  If putting away reserved signs, put them in the plastic bags they came in before putting them in the box (an altar guild member will usually do this).  Turn off the A/C or heat (the switch is on the backside of the rood screen behind the altar). 

15.  Special note to Team Leaders:  Take responsibility for checking the church before leaving to make sure that the money has been packaged, that the pews are in order, the windows are closed, the A/C or heat has been turned off, and that no trash remains in the sanctuary.  Bring lost items to the office and place in the lost and found basket under the mailboxes.  If in doubt about anything, double check with the altar guild members on duty or the vestry member(s) on call. 

16.  Special services in which the lights are dimmed may pose special safety concerns.  Ushers should have flashlights available during these services.  An usher should be positioned at the head of the stairway leading to the undercroft whenever the lights are dimmed or turned off.  All the timers for the exterior lights must be checked before evening services begin.  A chart of timer locations is in the service notebook in the narthex.  If necessary, reset or override the timers. 

17.  NOTE:  Only the crucifer or an usher should touch the heating/air-conditioning switch.  The crucifer will turn the switch off during the sermon or as instructed by the music director.  Ushers may turn the switch or/off as appropriate to assure the comfort of the congregation.

 

Many thanks for your continued support for this important ministry

 

Faithfully yours,

Gib

_