Sharon Lutheran Church
By God's Grace... Created to worship   Called to teach  Committed to serve

Ushering Guidelines


contempary

Ushering Guidelines for both Worship Services

 

Contemporary Worship Usher Responsibilities

 

 

 

Thanks for agreeing to help with ushering at the Sunday morning/Wednesday evening services. As ushers, you play an essential part in making worshipers feel welcome in our church, and in making them feel welcome in our services again.

Service Preparation

 

Arrive at least 20 minutes prior to worship time. Put a supply of bulletins by both doors. The bulletins are in a box by the south door table in the Fellowship Hall.

Also, you will need to have a "locking" bank deposit bag for the offering immediately following the Sending Song. It works best to bring the bag with you prior to the service. The bags are located in the top drawer of the filing cabinet directly beyond the first desk.

Have one or two ushers stand at the table by each door to give a bulletin to each worshiper (should it appear that your are running short at the 10:30 a.m. service, it may be necessary to recycle the bulletins from the 9:00 a.m. service). Give a greeting with a smile. Assist worshipers by escorting them to available seating, especially as the service begins to fill. Avoid setting up extra chairs in the back as doing so is a safety hazard. Close doors during the opening song. Stay by the closed doors to welcome late arrivals and assist them with finding a seat.

Coordinate candle lighting during the first song. If no 7th grade acolytes are present, an usher will light the candles as follows:

Candle lighters are hanging on the wall in the sacristy (communion preparation room off the traditional worship center). Lighters are in the drawer by the sink.

Light baptismal candle when there is a baptism.

Extinguish candles during the Sending Song.

Offering

 

Use as many plates as manageable, usually eight. Consider the angle of the two outer sections of chairs, it seems to work best to use eight ushers for this task. Recruit extra helpers from the worshipers in attendance (most are more than willing to help with passing the plates). Bring to the altar during the Offering Response. The pastor will direct you when to come to the altar.

Check with the pastor on how to handle the money once the service concludes.

Communion

 

Station one person on each section to direct people. Please keep the lines moving smoothly and steadily. If anyone is unable to get to communion, inform one of the pastors. Ushers take communion after all have been ushered up front.

The 10:30 a.m. service uses 4 communion stations, and requires 4 ushers to direct people.

Ushering for Communion may be handled successfully in many different ways. The most important thing for your team of ushers to know, is which way it will unfold during your time of duty. Find out prior to the beginning of service where the stations will be, and plan accordingly. If you have specific suggestions regarding how we may more effectively handle such challenges as the flow of traffic during Communion, please let your thoughts be known to a representative from the

Tracking Attendance

 

Count attendance during the service and write down the number on the tracking form or leave it on a note near the individual service folders on the secretary's desk in the office. Remember to specify the time of the service for which you are reporting.

After Service Responsibilities

 

After the service, please remove all trash to prepare for the next service.

Thanks again for agreeing to help with ushering!

 

 

Traditional Worship Usher Responsibilities

Thanks for agreeing to help with ushering at the Sunday morning/Wednesday evening services. As ushers, you play an essential part in making worshipers feel welcome in our church, and in making them feel welcome in our services again.

Be at the church 20 minutes before the service for which you are ushering. If there appears there are not enough ushers, recruit one or more persons from those who arrive for worship.

Dress in a manner that is respectful and appropriate.

Check the sanctuary to be sure it is ready for the worship service. Check to see that the lights, sound system, and heating/ventilation systems are turned on.

If there is a baptism, the baptismal font should be uncovered, and there should be a baptismal towel, candle, and candle holder at the font, and a pitcher of water on the altar.

If there is communion, check to see that there are communion cards in the pew racks. (Communion cards are found on shelves in the big supply room in the church office)

Check to see that there are acolytes to light the candles. If there are no acolytes, an usher will need to light the candles as the first hymn begins.

Welcome worshipers at each door to the sanctuary, and give them bulletins. (Bulletins are found in the church office) Two ushers should be at the center doors, and one should be at each side door.

Assist worshipers in finding seating if necessary. "Can I help you find a place to sit?"

Assist worshipers desiring the large print service, or children's activity bags, or children's activity folders.

If worshipers choose to sit on the chairs in the back of the sanctuary, be sure that they have hymnals and communion cards.

If worshipers arrive after the service has started, help them to be seated at times other than prayers.

Count attendance. Record the attendance number on the pad on top of the hymnal bookshelf on the east end of the narthex.

If there is a lot of noise in the narthex, close some or all of the sanctuary doors after worship has started. Consider, however, whether it will be more disruptive to have the doors open and closed as people enter and leave from and to church school sessions, etc. If possible, an usher should sit near each of the doors to assist in opening and closing them as quietly as possible during the service.

The usher nearest the church office should answer the phone if it rings during the service. Most frequently, callers inquire as to service times. If necessary, take a message to have a call returned.

Receive the offering, front to back. Use as many offering plates as possible, so that the offering can be gathered as quickly as possible. To gather the offering, all ushers walk up the center aisle, and tow then go to each of the side aisles.

Take the offering to the altar. Place the offering plates on the altar until the offering prayer is completed. Then take the offering plates from the altar, and walk back down the center aisle. On the first Sunday of the month, ask the pastors whether the food cart should be brought to the front with the other offerings.

Check with the pastor on how to handle the money once the service concludes.

If there is communion, direct worshipers in assembling at the communion rail. Two ushers should work the center aisle, and one should work each side (the wings and side aisles). Gather communion cards from worshipers.

Ushers should commune after other worshipers are through.

Leave communion cards in the church office after the service is over.

After the service is over, take the welcome pad sheets from the pads, and put them in the church office, with a notation of the service time and date on the group of welcome pads.

After the service is over, tidy up the sanctuary. Put hymnals back in the racks under the pews or on the backs of pews.

After the last service, put the microphones away.

After the last service, turn out the lights, turn the thermostat switch to "auto", lock doors, and close windows.

After the last service, two ushers should take the money to the night deposit at First National Bank on South Columbia Road and 24th Avenue. Check with one of the pastors about the location of a key necessary to gather the money bags from all of the morning services, and the other key necessary to put them in the night deposit.

Thanks again for agreeing to help with ushering!