Usher Schedule

Contact Bill Zecher for a copy of the current Usher Schedule.

Usher's Guide

Sanctuary

1. Be at the church 15 minutes prior to the start of the service.
2. Unlock both main doors for easy and safe exit. Open inside center doors, fold in toward the altar to keep narthex clear until the service starts.
3. Make sure all lights are turned on (except center chandelier during daytime)
4. Make sure offering plates are in the narthex.
5. Check the stack of bulletins for any notes or additional instructions.
6. Recruit additional ushers for collecting the offering if needed (4 total).
7. One usher at side door and at least on at main door to distribute bulletins and song sheets
8. Check with elder on duty to ensure communion rail is near the altar rail.
9. Assist acolyte or light candles if no acolyte at least 5 minutes before start of service.
10. At the start of the sermon, go upstairs and count attendance (include nursery). Fill in the slip with the bulletin package and place in the offering plate.
11. Offering: Proceed immediately to the front and take the offering. Do not wait until pastor requests you to come forward!
12. Take the offering to the acolyte or to the altar side tables if no acolyte.
13. Communion Ushering: Please see section below.
14. At the end of the service, clean pews and racks of any bulletins, song sheets, or foreign matter.
15. Take offering to business office and put in deposit bag in safe drawer designated on safe.
16. Take pew pad sheets from pads (after 10:45 service) and put on Bev's or Peggy's desk.
17. Turn off all lights.
18. Lock both main doors.
19. Report any problems/recommendations to the elder on duty

Communion

1. Need at least 3 ushers.
2. While the elder is communing pastor, go forward!
3. After pastor has communed, put center rail and kneeling pads in place
4. The communion rail will accommodate 17 adults.
5. The ushers at the pews need to keep each other informed on how many in their row they will send up for communion to avoid over-crowding.
6. Make every effort to keep an entire family together for communion. (Sometimes it is not possible to get an equal number from each side, ergo the ushers need to communicate).
7. The ushers at the pews need to stop people at the pew to avoid too many going forward.
8. Keep the total count the same! Try not to send too few or too many to the rail. The usher up front needs to stop people where they stand if there are going to be too many for the rail.
9. Minimize delays. Keep people moving. Do not wait until the altar area clears before sending the next table of communicants to the rail.

Special Communion Situation: Advent and Christmas

1. When the Christmas trees are in the altar area, communion is done on the main floor at the first step.
2. That area will accommodate only 14 adults.
3. All of the above applies with the exception of the number of people to send forward.