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Ushers at St. John's

by Dale Cannon

Preface

What the usher is. I feel that the ushers at St. John's are as important as any other visible lay responsibility. The usher is the first person that people meet when they walk in the door, the introduction to St. John's for new people, and facilitator of people's settling down comfortably in the first few minutes after entering the doors.

Ushers have much responsibility as the first representatives of St. John's that many people encounter. Their friendliness and helpfulness will help give people an excellent impression of St. John's.

They also facilitate the Sunday service for all worshippers in handing out of Sunday bulletins, guiding people to seats if necessary, taking up the collection and cleaning up the worship space so that someone else does not have to do it.

Ushers' duties

Before the Service,

ONE USHER:

1. Greets people at the door.
2. Hands people bulletins, hymnals, etc. - whatever is to be handed out.

THE OTHER USHER

Offers all the opportunity to make name badges.
Offers guests the opportunity to sign guest book.
Invites guests to the fellowship period after services.
Shows people to empty places if the area is crowded.
Assists people with disabilities to their places if needed.

BOTH

Be aware of and pay special attention to certain special needs.
Offer elderly and people with disability communion at their places.
Be prepared to give a person with a disability assistance in coming in the back door, up the wheelchair ramp now available (a doorbell will be provided to alert the ushers).

This is where ushers shine, being the first representatives of St. John's that new people encounter.

Let's go through the process of greeting people at the door:

"Welcome to St. John's in the name of Jesus Christ". The most welcome words they just might hear. A friendly greeting and being ready to be of assistance will impress the newcomer. One usher will hand the bulletins (and hymnals if in the Parish Hall) to people entering. Paying attention to the people entering, particularly newcomers, gives a very welcoming appearance. Newcomers in particular need to be assisted so that they don't feel lost and not paid attention to. Paying attention to people reaps rewards. Pointing out the guest register to those who might not have come before helps to show who came and from where and if they just might be candidates for coming again. Name badges help people when talking with those they haven't met before. Newcomers can begin to attach names to faces as they return, and can contact people more readily who are mentioned as contacts in the bulletin.

VERY IMPORTANT is inviting newcomers to join in the fellowship period after church, where they can get acquainted with parishioners and feel at home at St. John's.

Then ushers at times will help people with disabilities. Either helping them to their seats if need be - up the front stairs, or up our wheelchair ramp through the back door. A doorbell will be provided for those needing to enter the back so that the ushers will be alerted and one can set up the ramp for access. They will also ask if a person with a disability needs Eucharist brought to them in their pews and pass this on to the priest or worship leader at presentation of the offering.

Also, if the nave or other worship area is crowded and it seems that a person might have difficulty finding a seat, then the usher provides ushering services - taking note of and showing people to available seating. Ushers should take note of empty places from time to time so that they can assist better.

During the Service:

1. Take up collection during the offertory (if larger numbers of people are present, then others should assist the two regularly assigned ushers).
2. Count the people in attendance. Upon giving the offering to the worship leader, also give that number. People in nursery or other places will be added later by others.
3. At the presentation of the offering, also alert the worship leader (who will in turn alert the priest in charge) of any people needing to take Eucharist at their seats.
4. Arrangements might be made also to present donations of food to the altar. This will be worked out with the priest.

After the Service:

1. Lock the front doors to the church proper if the service is held there.
2. Check pews and seats for bulletins, other paper left behind and pick that up. Check for hymnals and Prayer books not in the racks and replace them there.
3. Turn out the lights in the nave and sanctuary area. This is done by two rheostats on the east side of the sanctuary and switch connected to them. Also, turn off the lights behind the stained glass windows (two red switches on the switchboard/fuse box next to the rheostats.
4. Count the offering (assistance will be provided) and enter into the book.

We do need to go through a typical Sunday Service (others should be similar; however, procedures unique to a particular service might be in order).

ONE USHER stands at the door, or first entrance, handing out bulletins and other items.

THE OTHER USHER stands near the guest register, directing newcomers toward that, and being aware whether people might need to be helped in finding seating, and whether people need to be accompanied due to disability. Also, the GREETER and USHER should listen for the doorbell in case disabled need help at the back door. The USHER should go to help, enlisting someone from the pews if deemed necessary.

BOTH USHERS should remain at the entry until the HYMN OF PRAISE, as least, in order to meet and help latecomers.

DURING THE SERVICE, AFTER EXCHANGING THE PEACE, the USHERS stand at the back of the Nave, with collection plates, ready to take up collection. The priest (or other facilitator of the service) will make a statement to finish up, then will go to prepare Eucharist. AT THIS POINT, the USHERS will walk to the stairs at the base of the choir area, pause, give a sign of respect toward the altar, then turn around and take up collection.

PROCEDURES FOR COLLECTION

Under usual circumstances, the USHERS can stand in the middle aisle at the end of each pew and hold the plate so that attendees can drop their offering (pass it along toward those that he/she cannot reach from the center), and proceed in this manner toward the rear.

ONCE ALL OFFERINGS HAVE BEEN COLLECTED, USHERS stand at the rear until the offertory has been completed. This is the best time to count attendance.

The offertory music will end, and a sort of prelude will then begin. It is during this prelude that the USHERS will proceed toward the front. They should be at the altar by the time the Doxology begins (this to be worked out with the organist).

At the altar, when giving the offertory to whoever takes it, the assigned usher will give that person the attendance figure.

COLLECTION PROCEDURES FOR LARGE ATTENDANCE

This can be hard to explain. 4 people will be needed, two for each side of the nave. Following are the steps:

At the inside aisle, two take positions at the 1, at the outside aisle, two take positions at the 2.
Each person passes a plate to the person nearest them in the pew.
The people at position 2 move to ROW 1 to take the plate when it reaches that end of the pew; the people at position 1, move to ROW 2
This is repeated with ROWS 3 and 4 and so on.

ONCE SERVICE HAS ENDED, the ushers will remain in the nave to inspect pews and replace hymnals and prayer books in the racks on the backs of the pews, clean up bulletins and other items left behind, dispose of waste paper, etc. properly, pick up items that someone obviously has left behind and attempt to return them, and help with altar cleanup if necessary.

One will stay behind to lock the front door after all who wish have left through that entrance; then that usher will turn out the lights of the nave, altar, behind the altar, and hallways if no one needs them left on.

ADD AND ENTER THE OFFERING. Entry blanks are provided for this purpose in a notebook. Ushers will be instructed in this process.

Finally, please accept the thanks of St. John's, our priest, parishioners and all who come through our doors for all the service you give to St. John's.