Ushering Instructions

(Updated 09/15/2005)

BEFORE THE EARLY SERVICE

I. BEFORE THE EARLY SERVICE

A. TURN ON LIGHTS (make sure switches are in the fully ‘up’ position)

• Narthex (switch by main doors; switch by coat rack)
• Nave (switches by audio booth)
• Hallways
• Sunday School Rooms
• Kitchen
• Office (if door is unlocked)
• Restrooms (men’s/women’s in main hall)
• Nursery (including restroom)

B. UNLOCK DOUBLE DOORS IN MAIN ENTRY, using ‘hex’ wrench hanging on far-west wall of entry. Place wrench in ‘hex hole’ located on the bottom side of either push-bar hinge. Hold push-bar in down (open…unlatched) position, and tighten (counter-clockwise direction, Righty Tighty, Lefty Loosey) the hex bolt, thus securing the push-bar in the “down” (open, unlocked position). Repeat with all four ‘hex holes’, one on each end of the two main-door push-bars.

• Place door in ‘open’ position
• Open window blinds so people can see into sanctuary
• Table should be in low position

D. TURN OFF TELEPHONE RINGER of the telephone in the kitchen. If it rings, it disturbs the service!

B. LOCATE LECTOR, OTHER USHERS, AND ACOLYTE.
Lectors should check in with ushers prior to the service. If the lector does not check in, please check the schedule and try to locate the scheduled lector. That way, we’ll know in advance if the scheduled lector is available. If not, an usher could step in or another volunteer should be sought or ushers need to inform the pastor if there is not someone to lector for the service. The acolytes should also check in with the ushers. If the scheduled acolyte does not arrive, please seek a substitute or notify the pastor. Also, please seek enough ushers to equal two if not all scheduled people appear.

C. ASSEMBLE BULLETINS AND HYMNALS
Examine bulletin to determine which hymnal is being used (green or red), if used at all. Distribute bulletins with hymnals. Complete stuffing or folding bulletins if needed. There are 240 chairs and only ~100 hymnals. Please try to give hymnals to teens and adults and encourage hymnal sharing in families. Red hymnals must be shared. A box of gray hymnals is in the AV TECH area that are exactly the same as the red hymnals and can be used if there is a shortage.

• Make sure the collection plates are available. They should be on the back table.
• Straighten chairs in nave if necessary.
• Open doors between narthex and sanctuary. Make sure outer doors are open. The OUTER DOORS are the two center doors in the main entry of the church. Usually, the far right door is opened by the time the ushers get here (opens with a key…this is the door that has the automatic entry.)
• Verify that the First Aid Kit, fire extinguisher and phone are ready in the event of an emergency. (Refer to Section IV)
• Assist AV Tech with microphone if necessary. For example, if a special microphone is needed, the usher can hand it to the speaker, while the Sound Tech stays in the booth to do adjusting.
• Help with setting temperature in the nave and narthex. The thermostat by the sound booth is for COOL; the thermostat by the cry room window is for HEAT. To cool/heat, both need to be adjusted in the OPPOSITE DIRECTION. Also, when it’s really hot, the AC is not strong enough to actually cool the sanctuary in a mere hour or two, it has to be set the day before.
• Close blinds at the front of the sanctuary. The slats should face UP.

A. GREET WORSHIPPERS
Note: A greeter or two will be stationed in the Narthex until the service starts. Ushers continue to follow the below procedures as bulletins are being handed out and after the service leaves and the greeters have finished their duties.

• Greet everyone with a smile.
• Provide worshippers with bulletin and hymnal (if needed).
• Gently, quietly encourage people to enter BEFORE service begins.
• Help visitors to enter and find a seat.

• Help with the robe and stole, if needed. Help with selecting the stole (colored yoke, point goes in the back) and putting on the robe. Try to match the stole with the altar cloth color.
• During opening hymn, locate matches for acolyte.
• Make sure the taper wick in the acolyte stick is adequate to use during the service (you may need Altar Guild to help with this, otherwise, Pastor Lon). Replace if needed.

C. CLOSE DOORS between narthex and sanctuary no later than a minute or two after designated start of worship OR whenever Pastor Larson takes his place in the front of the sanctuary, whichever comes last.

• Open and shut doors quietly.
• Greet quietly, but warmly
• Provide bulletin/hymnal
• Assist to find seating, if crowded (check front rows).
• Coordinate door opening so it is not done during prayer.

E. REMAIN STANDING
At least one usher should remain standing by the hymnal cart or doors during the entire service to help with opening the doors, seating late comers, supervising the service, answering the telephone and attending to the needs of the congregation. The other usher(s) can remain standing, sit in the back row or in a chair by the hymnal cart in between helping to perform the usher responsibilities.

A. ASSIST THOSE WHO ARRIVE VERY LATE Refer to section III-D

B. ASSIST ACOLYTE: The acolyte walks forward to light the altar candles as singing is begun for the first hymn. More information can be found in the usher/lector/acolyte binder.

• Light taper of acolyting stick during opening hymn.
• Return acolyte stick to proper place on wall bracket.
• After Children’s Service, direct acolytes to clean up if necessary.

C. ASSIST STUDENT LECTORS/USHERS during most 2nd and 3rd Sundays during the school year. A list should be included in the binder with the schedule.

• Help them know when to come forward for readings.
• Help them know when/where/how to help with offering.

D. TAKE ATTENDANCE. Count every person in the building, no guessing! Record the count and the date in the Usher Log in the white three-ringed binder. These head counts are used in reporting worship status numbers to the St. Paul Area Synod.

• Pastor, organist, pianist, other instrumentalist(s)
• Special music people/choir
• People in sound booth, kitchen, nursery, narthex, office
• Ushers, lectors, acolytes
• Children of all ages, even babies
• Everyone else

E. HAND OUT CHILDREN’S ACTIVITY BAGS after the Children’s Message. Pastor Lon will direct the children to the back of the sanctuary following the Children’s Sermon. Used bags are placed under the table. Give children a bag from on top of the table.

F. MONITOR ROOM TEMPERATURE. Refer to section II, D.

G. OFFERING:

• Use four offering plates and two-three ushers.
• Involve student usher/lectors (most 2^nd/3^rd Sundays during school year)
• One person stands in each of the two near-side aisles, and attends to the sections of seats on either side, using all four offering plates.
• Begin from front, move back, face forward, walk backward, as much as makes sense.
• Hand the offering plate to the people. Let them pass it down the aisle. Assist as needed.
• Let go of the offering plate. Don’t watch people as they put in their offering.
• Return to hymnal rack area with all four offering plates.
• Avoid having children younger than confirmation age take offering.
• DO NOT LEAVE OFFERING UNATTENDED. Offering belongs in locked drawer in office after worship. Find assistance from Offering Counters (late service) or Pastor or for depositing money in office if needed.
• Take offering during the hymn of the day on Communion Sundays and special services where communion is served (Lenten, Thanksgiving, etc.)

H. COMMUNION: Usher people forward per Pastor’s instructions... “Forward by way of the near side aisles, and return by way of the center aisle.” One usher in each aisle.

    a. KNEELING

1. Wait for pastor’s instruction to congregation.
2. People come forward by way of the near-side aisles.
3. Fill altar rail from center outward in both directions.
4. Remain kneeling for blessing.
5. Return to seats by way of the center aisle.
6. Have 8-10 people waiting in the aisles, ready to come forward at the same time as people ahead of them are returning to their seats.
7. Monitor approximate number of people that go forward after preceding table is dismissed (try to work toward full tables as much as possible).
8. Try to keep family units together as much as possible.
9. Give utmost attention to visitors, elderly, infirmed/disabled/handicapped, and those communing for the first time.

1. Wait for pastor’s instruction to congregation.
2. People come forward by way of the near-side aisles.
3. Return to seats by way of the center aisle.
4. Wait for communion servers to get positions in front of near-side aisle.
5. Invite people to come forward, moving from front to back.
6. Assist in keeping the line moving.
7. Give utmost attention to visitors, elderly, infirmed/disabled/handicapped, and those communing for the first time.

Communion Traffic Flow

Intinction    -    Kneeling

A. ASSIST ACOLYTE: As the closing hymn begins, assist or remind the acolyte to go forward to snuff out the candles. Help Acolyte to put away acolyte stick and stole.

B. OPEN DOORS (all three) during closing hymn.

C. SAY GOODBYE: Greet people and thank them for worshipping, as seems appropriate. Assist those who need assistance. Welcome people to coffee and treats.

D. COLLECT HYMNALS/USED BULLETINS: As people begin filing out,, collect the hymnals and used bulletins.

E. COLLECT CHILDREN’S BAGS. The used children’s activity bags need to be collected and placed in the large plastic tub under the table to ensure that bags distributed during the second service are not used bags from the first service!

• Deal with Bulletins after first service: replace contents (name tags, prayer cards, hunger envelopes, inserts) into used bulletins (reuse bulletins only if they are in good shape)
• Deal with Bulletins after second service: separate contents to be saved (name tags, prayer cards, hunger envelopes, other re-usable items) from bulletins. Leave all items on hymnal rack. Also, sometimes people have prayer requests that didn’t get dropped into the offering plate. Bring them into the office.
  NOTE: Do not leave offering on hymnal rack! (See above.)
• Straighten hymnal rack area.
• Go through entire sanctuary:
• Straighten chairs
• Pick up garbage, paper and other items from the floor.
• Assist in stacking chairs and putting out tables if needed.

A. LOCK DOUBLE DOORS IN MAIN ENTRY using ‘hex’ wrench (hanging on far-west wall of entry). Place wrench in ‘hex holes’ located on the bottom side of either push-bar hinge. Hold push-bar down and loosen (counter-clockwise direction - Righty Tighty, Lefty Loosey) the hex bolt. Repeat with all four ‘hex holes’, one on each end of the two main-door push-bars.

B. TURN ON PHONE RINGER in the kitchen.

• Narthex (switch by main doors; switch by coat rack)
• Sanctuary (switches by audio booth)
• Hallways
• Sunday School Rooms
• Kitchen
• Office (if door is unlocked)
• Restrooms (men’s/women’s in main hall)
• Nursery (including restroom)

• Dial hospital, emergency 911
• Emergency Kit in the kitchen in the cupboard above the broom closet, behind the door on the south side of the kitchen. In other words, it’s in the cupboard behind the door leading from the kitchen to the SS hall.
• Fire Extinguisher in narthex is in a glass-front cabinet between the bookshelves of the ‘library,’ on the south wall, over in the corner, behind the benches. In other words, it’s to the left of the doors as you are going from the narthex to the sanctuary.
• Mop and bucket are in janitor closet (in back hall) along with some industrial-weight toweling, rubber gloves, and various cleaning supplies that might come in handy.
• Answer the telephone if it rings during the service. Even with the kitchen phone ringer turned off, the sound of the other phones repeatedly ringing can be distracting. Most of the calls into the church at this time are questions about the time of our services so you can simply answer the caller or take a message and return to your station.

• STUDENT LECTORS/USHERS are to assist in all of the usher duties. The students are participating as part of their confirmation requirements.
• CHILDREN SEVENTH GRADE AND UNDER can be great helpers. Suggested things for them to help with are the children’s bags, handing out hymnals and bulletins, opening and shutting the doors quietly, collecting hymnals and bulletins, straightening up after the service.
• CHILDREN SEVENTH GRADE AND OLDER can help with just about any of the duties.

• BAPTISMS
• CHRISTMAS EVE - Ushers turn lights off for candlelight portion. Assist candle distributors.
• EASTER - 9:30 is the most attended service. 8:00 and 9:30 ushers should work together after the 8:00 service to set up extra chairs before the 9:30 service. 9:30 and 11:00 ushers should work together after the 9:30 service to put the extra chairs away.

HEAD USHER - The person in charge of training ushers, holding meetings for lead ushers, and keeping the Usher Instructions up-to-date.

LEAD USHER - A person who has attended usher training, who is willing to usher six or more times each year, attend lead usher meetings and practice, and agrees to follow the usher instructions.

USHER - A person who has or has not attended usher training and who is willing to usher three or more times each year with a lead usher and agrees to follow the usher instructions.

ACOLYTE - A youth “assistant” who lights the candle(s) at the beginning of the service and puts it out at the end as well as serving other duties.

LECTOR - The person(s) who reads the lesson(s).

NAVE - The central part of a church, extending from the narthex to the chancel and flanked by aisles.

SANCTUARY - The holiest part of a sacred place, as the part of a Christian church around the altar.

NARTHEX - The entrance hall leading to the nave of a church.

Thank you for volunteering to help with the Worship Service. Your dedication is truly appreciated.