WORSHIP COMMITTEE DESCRIPTION
Last Updated: 09/02/2006
Monthly Items
(provide schedules to office, website coordinater):
- Schedule Children’s Message – Different people or the same person can provide the message for both 8:30 and 11:00. There is a list of people who have done Children’s Message in the past (Childrens-Msg.xls).
- Schedule Sound Booth Operators – call to have people signup; keep schedule in Sound Booth area and in Bulletin Board. There is a list of all Sound Booth operators.
- Schedule Bus Drivers – for 11:00 service only. We have 3 right now – Brian Cottom, Gary Atta, and Mark Bagley. Marvin Cooper can do it if you’re in a pinch. Check to ensure bus driver is there on Sunday morning (around 10:15). If no bus drivers are available or bus is gone on trip, call at least 3 car drivers. There is a list of people who have done it in the past (filename ‘Car_Drivers.doc’).
- Schedule Acolytes - Julie Johnson (see Acolyte section for more info)
- Communion (1st Sunday of Month & Special Occasions) – the Martha Committee handles most of these items and has a notebook for the tasks and where things are located. The notebook is in the kitchen Communion cabinet. A brief synopsis:
o Schedule 10 servers per service. They must be elders or deacons (There is a list of current and past elders/deacons in file ‘Communion Servers.xls’), coordinate elder in Sound Booth if possible. Start the scheduling about 1 ½ weeks prior to day of communion.
o Schedule setup, turnaround, and cleanup help for Communion Sunday.
o Do Server “placecards” – this is like a map of where the 10 servers will stand and what aisles they’ll walk down/up. Make copy of sanctuary picture for each elder serving and assign names to each of the 10 places. (file is ‘Diagram_Communion_Regular.ppt’). Elders of day will be servers in both services (so best to put them in the same position for both services).
o Buy 4 loaves hawaiian bread, 3 grape juice bottles (for 2 services; only 2 loaves and 2 small grape juice are needed for 1 service).
o Buy Communion cups, doilies as needed – doilies best found at Michael’s, Cups can be bought from New Creation (charge to the church account).
o Setup Communion Cups in trays – this is done a day or two before Communion usually. Trays are in closet in office (AA8 key) and should be returned to closet once filled with cups. See notebook for how many cups to prepare for given services.
o Communion
Day (15 min prior to service) – Server scheduler hands out placecards to servers
as they come into the
o Communion Day – Setup Sunday 7:15 setup, 9:30 turnaround, 12:15 cleanup folks;, Turnaround, Cleanup – need to schedule people for all 3 times. We’ll usually discuss in committee meeting.
Weekly Items:
- Create/Send out Greeter/Usher Reminder cards (Mondays)
o There are 4 different Reminder cards in Publisher documents:
§ Mpc_back_greeter_only.pub – for someone who is GREETER ONLY,
§ Mpc_back_greeter_usher.pub - for someone who is a GREETER & USHER,
§ Mpc_back_usher.pub - for someone who is an USHER ONLY,
§ Mpc_back_non_off_usher.pub - for those who is a NON-OFFERING USHER (on Communion Sundays, these people do the other tasks that Ushers do not including Communion…. Such as take a headcount and collect the Friendship Pad sheets).
o These postcards print 4 on a page (the postcard paper is sheets of 4 to a sheet). They print the “back” of the postcard (side having the information of who is the captain, what date and what service the person(s) are serving.
o A Worship member will write in the blanks of the card the date, time of service, and the captain. They will also address the front of the card. The cards should be taken to the church MONDAY MORNING for office staff/help to put the return address, postage, and put them in the mail. It’s easiest to fill out and address the cards by Sunday prior to the people serving and bring them to church that Sunday.
-
Email
Greeter/Usher Reminder (Wednesdays)
o Since the reminder cards do not have the entire team listed, and cannot have all the instructions the Team needs, send an email to all the people on the next Sunday’s schedule (at least all the people who have email).
o Use the email list from the church website
o Attach the Usher Duty list (on file ‘Usher-Duties-date’ where date is the most recent date)
- Maintain Worship Activity Bags (age 2 – 5)
o There
are 18 bags. They are usually piled on
the table in the
o You’ll need coloring or puzzle pages, crayons, zip baggies. Pick out two coloring sheets from available books and make 19 copies of each sheet. Keep one of the copy sets down in the cabinet with the date for which they will be used (to keep track of what’s been used… don’t want to use the same sheets frequently).
o Update the bags by taking out old coloring sheets (can paper cut them and use the back for notes… leave next to phone in Workroom), putting new ones in, check crayon supply (good assortment of colors, and still in good shape).
- NOTE – Women in the Circles are now (2006) creating Worship Activity Bags for elementary age students.
-
Recording
Ministry:
o Get 11:00 CD of service from office after 11:00 service. Some of the people doing the recording will make copies. If it is brought down to the office, one of the other designated recorders needs to pick it up.
o Make 5 copies (when there is people who are getting them from office staff. When no one getting them regularly, 3 copies are fine).
o Bring the copies and the master back to church and put in Workroom next to mailboxes.
o Once a month or so, file the master and the copies in the library in the old building (there’s a spindle for the masters and a shoebox for the copies).
o Once a month, check with Cares & Concerns committee head to determine if there are any needs for
- Flowers –
o Review
who’s signed up and coordinate their choice for flowers or get Missions Flowers
prepared and in sanctuary by Saturday.
There’s a number of flower sets in the Worship Room in the
o Order Poinsettias and arrange delivery at Christmas Time – Alice Russell
o Order Easter Lilies and arrange delivery at Easter Time – Alice Russell
- Sanctuary Prep/Inventorying –
o Realign chairs as needed – Ensure there are a couple chairs with card/pencil holders in each row (2nd from each row end); Ensure enough room in middle aisle for Offering/Communion Ushers (chairs get moved around if there’s been a dinner/event in sanctuary).
o Ensure bibles/hymnals in proper position (we don’t have bibles for every chair). Extra Hymnals are in the closet containing the Acolyte Robes. There are a few boxes of them on floor behind Acolyte Robes.
o Ensure Visitor cards, Prayer Request Cards, Pew envelopes, pencils are available in the chair backs in each row and the pencils are sharpened. Usually we put 3 Visitor Cards, 4 or 5 Prayer Request Cards, 2 Pew envelopes in each chair back. Also it looks great to have the same color pencils in the same chair holder.
o Ensure Registration pads are at the inside end of each row and have sharpened pencils, about 5 Prayer Request cards clipped on front cover.
o Ensure Candles have oil. Keep one bottle in pulpit cabinet. Other bottles are in bottom cabinet at corner of workroom.
o For the 3rd Sunday of each month, get out the 5 cent-a-meal baskets (in workroom in upper cabinet to the left of the copier.
o Check
the batteries in the hearing units in the basket on the desk in
o Buy more supplies as needed; notify church admin when to order Visitor cards, registration pads. Pew envelopes come from Cokesbury (can order online – order# 129211 - (An Offering) Offering Envelope Small (package of 500) - 1 @ $19.40)).
o Make more Prayer Request cards as needed (use card stock that should be in workroom cabinets and purchase when necessary). Should be able to copy 6 to a page.
3 Times per year –
Greeter/Usher Schedule
- 3 Times a year, we schedule 4 months worth of greeters and ushers. The schedules go for Jan – April, May – August, and September – December. Mailings for the schedule and various other documents (explained in next paragraph) need to go out about a week and a half before the schedule start date. So that means the mailing goes out late December, late April, and late August for the timeframes above.
- There are 7 documents that get sent out with each of these mailings:
- A letter to members who are on the schedule or on the Substitute List which explains what’s in the mailing and what to do when they have a conflict. This gets updated each mailing with date and if anything has changed about the next schedule. It’s a WORD document and we have a different document for each time it’s been sent;
- The schedule (WORD document with a table in it). We schedule 6 people for the 8:30 service to collect the Offering, 8 people at the 11:00. For Communion Sundays, the Elders/Deacons collect the Offering. So we schedule 2 people to do the other tasks needed for a service (take a headcount and collect the Friendship pad sheets after the service, etc). There are some people who like to greet who do NOT want to usher. And there are some people who like to usher but who do not want to greet. This information is obtained from the Volunteer database and emails/calls from members specifying what they need (see Worship CD under “Greeter-Usher-Offering docs”.
- Note, when doing the Jan – April schedule, the boy scouts and girl scouts usually want to greet and usher in February sometime. Contact girl scout, boy scout leaders around November to determine the dates.
- The Substitute List (WORD document). These are people who said they’d be glad to substitute but just don’t want to be put on the schedule (or during the summer, we couldn’t get everyone who said they would like to serve on the schedule, so they got put on the Substitute List). This list is updated with each mailing (usually people drop out or new people come in so the schedule and Substitute List are adjusted accordingly).
- Usher Team Responsibilities (WORD document). This shows which person(s) on the Usher Team does what and when. For ex, the Greeters are to get the bulletins out and stand at the doors, providing bulletins and greeting people as they enter the Sanctuary. Another example is the whole team needs to get together prior to the service to plan. The Captain assigns the Offering Lineup positions, who will take the headcount, and who will collect the Friendship Pad sheets at the end of the service.
- The Process (WORD document). This describes the steps to collect the Offering.
- Diagram A (Powerpoint document). This provides how the Offering Collectors lineup and which aisle they go down.
- Diagram B (Powerpoint document). This provides a diagram of how the Offering Collectors come back to the front with their plates, then fan out for the Prayer.
- Another document of ALL the people on the schedule or on the Substitute List is used to identify who will receive the mailing. This document contains the names of each person/family in alphabetical last name order, and which service they prefer. This needs to be updated when the Schedule and Substitute List are completed for a given timeframe (to determine #copies, #envelopes). Also noted on this document are which people have a church mailbox (and do NOT need an envelope prepared for them).
- In the November, March, and July newsletters, the Greeter/Usher scheduler, should put in an article with (a) note the next schedule is in progress, (b) inform newcomers to contact them if they would like to serve in this ministry, (c) ask if anyone would like to come off the schedule.
- At the beginning of December, April, and August an email similar to the newsletter article should be sent as a reminder and give a deadline date to respond. At this point, time should be scheduled with church administrator and helpers for making the copies, preparing the envelopes, etc.
- For the mailing, the document containing everyone on the Schedule and Substitute List is used to determine #copies and #envelopes. MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE WITH CHURCH MAILBOXES do NOT get an envelope. Make a copy for the Pastor, Parrish Associate, Church Administrator, and EVERY Elder, Deacon (many of them are already on the list).
- Start the copy process first. DEFINITELY use front and back of copy pages. The copy part of the process typically takes about 30 minutes.
- There is a church return address stamp and stamp-pad in the Reception desk. Each envelope must be stamped with the return address.
- Each envelope needs regular postage stamped on it by the machine in the Work Room. Ask Office Administrator how to do this.
- Use the List of People to find each person’s address in the church directory and hand write those on the envelopes.
- Put the church staff, Elders, and Deacon copies in their mailboxes. Then fold the rest and stuff the envelopes.
- Provide training (and there is a handbook) at beginning of school year.
- Schedule the Acolytes and parent to help them know when to do their tasks
- Maintain schedule and send to Acolytes twice a year
- Maintain candle lighter wicks, matches
- Maintain Acolyte robes
- Purchase end of year gifts and schedule worship service time at end of year to recognize them and present the gifts.
- October - Decide on bulletin covers and order – order Advent Candles if needed at this time also (they take awhile – 3 blue, 1 pink – 1” size diameter).
- October – Coordinate checking/replacing the outside Christmas Tree Lights with Russell Davis, Property Committee members.
- Early November – Get outside sign/banner updated (or new one made) for announcing Christmas Eve services). “Signs Are Us” has been used and has church account in their system). Wooden Sign (A-frame) and Banner are in old building office.
- Coordinate Hanging of Greens (decorations are all in old building, secretaries office)
o October – decide when this will occur with Christian Ed and Fellowship Committees;
o October – put article in the early November newsletter about the event, prepare bulletin announcement.
o October – order new advent wreath candles (if needed… sometimes can use same from last year or may have already ordered a set).
o Early November – inventory decorations, take needed wreaths to get bows replaced; ensure we have enough hangers for wreaths, decide how to putup garland along choir wall and buy appropriate supplies.
o Early November – have church admin put in the bulletin announcement
o Early November - schedule helpers (Roger McClary has tall ladder for big wreaths)
o Day of - Bring decorations over to new building and decide how to arrange BEFORE the actual hanging occurs). Get Advent Wreath (stand, wreath, gold middle insert to hold Christ Candle) from C.E. closet on 2nd floor of old building next to Men’s bathroom. Also Advent Candles should be in there. Set this up in sanctuary on right side floor at microphone. Put a Lighter on the wreath.
- Middle of November - Call Presbyterian Women to place Chrismon Tree in sanctuary
- Middle of November – identify the person(s) who will provide Advent Stand Greenery each week of Advent.
- Poinsettia Orders –
o Early November - schedule people to collect orders/money for 3 Sundays (usually last Sunday in november plus two Sundays, maybe three in December).
o Early November – Put newsletter article in announcing the order dates/times.
o Middle November – Place an order for 50 poinsettias (Alice Russell has been doing this – she’ll have the name of nursery she uses)
o Late Nov – Mid Dec – Take orders – i.e. print about 70 forms (Barbara Wissbaum has the order form), coordinate having a table in Friendship Court for taking orders, use Women of Church Cash Box (see head of WOC for box and key), have pens available and envelope to keep completed order forms. It’s nice to have a poinsettia on table. After taking orders, place orders/cash box/supplies in church office workroom (near cutting board)
o Late December – give nursery final order count and arrange for delivery.
o Just before Sunday before Christmas Eve – arrange poinsettias in sanctuary. Risers (2 sets) are underneath the stage on the right side as you look at stage from floor. Use old white sheets to cover risers
- November - Schedule Advent Candle Lighters, Readers – use a mix of people (not just families… 2 single people, older, younger, new members, etc). There are 3 or 4 Sundays plus Christmas Eve – 2 services for each. They will have scripts to read which do not have to be memorized. Barbara Wissbaum has the schedules from previous years.
-
November –
inventory and purchase more Christmas Eve Candle Holders and candles as needed. Candles are in worship room of
- November – include Christmas Eve for greeters, Acolytes, Soundbooth, bus (?? We have been asking for drivers for Christmas Eve services thus far). Inform Greeters they will be helpers in lighting the Christmas Eve candles.
- Late Nov – Early Dec - Provide scripts and instructions to Advent Candle Lighters/Readers
- Early December – Put the outside sign/banner in place.
- Each Week of Advent – Provide greenery on Advent Stand.
- Early/Middle December – prepare Christmas Eve candles/holders.
- Early December – contact Martha Committee to plan Communion details for Christmas Eve.
- Middle December – schedule Elders/Deacons to serve Communion. This is usually a Communion By Intinction. There are computer files for the diagrams of how this is done and a written process (for both 3 stations and 4 stations).
- Middle December – work with Acolytes, Elders/Deacons, Greeters, Pastors for Christmas Eve in the Candle Lighting process.
- Middle December – prepare candle receptacles (for people to drop their candles in after each service).
- Christmas Eve –
o Bring candles over to Sanctuary,
o Ensure Acolytes, Greeters, Elders prepared for candle lighting process – give them their “starter” candles,
o Ensure Elder/Deacons prepared for Communion
o Place receptacle for candles at doors to sanctuary.
o After the service, move the candles back up to room 204.
o Take down outside sign/banner…. Can just put behind chapel entry ramp for now, then store later.
- Take down decorations after the Sunday following Christmas. 4 people for this is good. Bring iron to get wax off chairs. Store decorations back in old building worship room (including the outside sign/banner if not already stored).
- January – get outside banner updated as needed (has date on it).
- January – decide if special bulletin covers to be used and place order.
- January – decide service time (if different than 7:30), and sanctuary/chapel needs.
- 1 month prior – determine any special needs in sanctuary by choir.
- 1 month prior – work with C.E. for childcare during service
- 3 weeks prior to Ash Wednesday – put outside sign/banner up.
-
On Ash Wednesday
BEFORE service
o During DAY - Get outside cross from shed and put in ground in front of chapel, put the purple drape on (stored in Worship Room in Old Bldg).
o Get Ashes out (should be in communion ware closet in church office)
o Setup Chapel or Sanctuary appropriately (with paraments, make sure candles have fluid, bulletins in place).
- On Ash Wed AFTER Service –
o Put purple drape (drape in with other paraments) on outside cross.
o Take down paraments from chapel
o Put ashes back in communion ware closet.
o Take down outside sign/banner and store in Old building in office.
- Month and half prior– determine what services we’ll have (Tenebrae, Seder, Good Friday, etc), Communion needs for each, and setup of Sanctuary for each (if different than normal).
- Month and half prior – order bulletin covers for Holy Week services as desired. Woolverton Printing or Concordia Supply are good.
- Month and half prior – determine any special needs for music.
- Lilies –
o Couple Months prior to Easter - schedule people to collect orders/money. Have 3 Sundays to take orders; also request a newsletter article noting the order dates/times.
o Month and half prior to Easter – place an order for 50 from nursery. We’ve been using Poinsettias Over Charlotte.
o Prior to Order Days –
§ Update lily order form with price change (if necessary), different graphics as desired. File is ‘Flower Order – Lily yyyy’ where yyyy is the appropriate year.
§ Setup table to take the orders. There’s a sign that’s in a plastic picture stand you can use (in bottom cabinet in corner of workroom). Pens are in one of the drawers underneath mailboxes in workroom. Get the Cash Box from Women of the Church. Have approx 40 lily order forms on hand (Worship Chair has file of the form); have envelope to contain the completed orders.
o On Order Days – ensure table still setup before your time! Put completed forms in envelope, money/checks in cashbox. After orders have been taken, put order envelope, cash box, other supplies back in workroom.
o After all Orders in – confirm exact count with nursery and arrange for delivery. Notify Financial Secretary of total amounts for flowers and other donations. Have Financial Secretary cut check to flower company.
o Delivery Day – pay flower delivery person; arrange lilies in sanctuary. Risers are under stage on right side and left side as you look at the stage. Sheets to cover the risers should be with the risers.
- Month and half prior – request newsletter article about Holy Week events. Include a note about putting flowers on cross with wire mesh on Easter.
-
Month prior to
Maundy Thursday
o Schedule Nursery Help, Acolytes, Bus Driver, Elders/Deacons for Maundy Thursday service (Communion servers as determined above).
o Determine other service details: (a) if we want the old church bells to be rung, how many rings, and who will do it (need two people with walky-talkies – one to be in old building ready to ring the bells, other in sanctuary so they can tell the bell toller when to start), (b) special candle lighting, dimming, etc.
- 2 weeks prior to Palm Sunday – put Holy Week sign/banner outside; determine Palm Sunday children coordinator and palm collector (who stands by Communion Table, collects the palms from the children, and puts them in the flower urn).
- 1 to 2 weeks before Palm Sunday – decide how Children’s Palm Processional will be done - decide if children will give palms to people along the aisles, put palms in urn up front (have someone standing there to collect them), identify who will direct/control the children in Friendship Court before the Processional.
- During Week before Palm Sunday - get approx 75 Palms.
-
Day before Palm
Sunday – Bring palms to church and arrange in flower urn with water.
-
On Palm Sunday
o Bring
palms to
o For
the Children’s Processional - direct/control children in
- During week between Palm Sunday, Easter – The document “Holy Week Tasks” was great to coordinate all the activity this week. Some items to remember: get inside cross put up (the one with the wire mesh). Also day before Easter, have some cut flowers ready for Easter morning for inside cross. Get white drape for outside cross ready to go.
-
On Maundy
Thursday
o Ensure person in sound booth prepared to dim lights as needed.
o Ensure bell toller and “associate” are prepared with walky-talkies.
o After the service - replace purple drape with black drape outside, change paraments to red; also take down outside sign/banner; cleanup communion.
- On Easter –
o Early in morning – put white drape on outside cross
o Have cut flowers available.
o Let people know about putting flowers on cross with wire mesh
- After Easter –
o Take down inside cross and put back in shed.
o if any lilies left, coordinate their distribution (maybe have some planted around the church!)
o Give cash box back to Women of Church.
o Take down Lily risers, take sheets home to clean.
o Bring clean sheets back to church and store with risers.
o After Pentecost (50 days after Easter), take down outside cross, put it back in shed, clean drape and put back in workroom with paraments.
- Work with Music Sub-Committee to help coordinate work with choirs.
- Change Paraments in sanctuary as needed (paraments are in workroom bottom cabinet in corner). See Liturgical calendar for dates and colors.
- Order other Worship supplies as needed (bibles, hymnals, candle oil which is ordered from Kerry Collection, Flower Chart, Mission Flowers)
- Prepare, Conduct/Attend, Writeup Monthly Meetings.
- Prepare budget for a calendar year.
- Maintain Wedding Policy – The Worship Committee determines changes needed; Session must approve; there is a computer file of this.
- Maintain Sunday Duty Sheet – (file ‘Sunday Duties yyyy-mmmmmmm’ where yyyy is the year, mmmmmmm is the month updated) This is the instructions on who does what on Sunday mornings at the church in both buildings. Keep a copy in the Workroom bulletin board and send computer file to Elders/Deacons if modified.
- Help Setup/Cleanup for Weddings/funerals (i.e. put paraments in chapel, fill chapel candle oil, etc).
- Direct and facilitate weddings.
- Coordinate funerals.
- Coordinate substitute ministers as needed.
LOCATION of MATERIALS/WORSHIP ITEMS
Kitchen Top Cabinets past the pantry (labeled “Communion Supplies):
- Communion cups, doilies, pump bottles; notebook describing tasks
- Key to open Communion closet in Reception area.
Workroom Top, Farthest Cabinet (in angular corner):
- Visitor cards, Prayer Request cards, Pew Envelopes, pencils, registration pads
- New registration books
- Copies of Offering Diagrams
- CD of Worship Documents (Elders, Elder Duty sheet, Wedding Policy, Flower order forms, Advent Readers, Soundbooth Procedures, Offering Procedure, etc).
Workroom Bottom, Farthest Cabinet in angular corner):
- Worship Activity Bag books for copying
- Paraments for Communion table, pulpit, Offering plates
- Candle Oil for both Sanctuary and Chapel candles
Reception Desk (right top drawer):
- Worship Activity Bag crayons and extra copies for the bags
Reception Area Closet in CWC (AA8 key - Alice Russell also has this key):
- Communion wine and bread trays.
- Communion Chalice and Pitcher (earthenware); crystal pitcher
- 2 gold and 2 silver flower urns
- Shovel from CWC digging ceremony
Friendship Court Visitor Desk or other Desk:
- Soundbooth and lavalier batteries
- Hearing aids (in basket)
?????????
- Advent Wreath stand and white Christ Candle
- Flower arrangements for sanctuary
- Advent greenery
- Recorded CDs from 11:00 services (note most recent ones in Worship mailbox)
Sanctuary left closet closest to back doors:
- Acolyte Robes, matches for lighter, candle lighter
- Big Bible Acolytes carry
- Extra hymnals
Sanctuary closets closest to stage – one of the flower stands (other is in Sanctuary)
Sanctuary Under the Stage:
- risers for lilies/poinsettias
- Chrismon tree and decorations
Sanctuary corners – US flag and Christian Flag
Soundbooth:
- handheld microphone
- Sunday Service Operator Schedule