Sunday morning Greeters stand in the Narthex and warmly greet worshipers. It is a great opportunity to get to know your fellow church goers! Families can "greet" together, small children are a pleasure to have welcoming our parishoners.
Sunday morning Welcomers receive guests, help them acclimate and create an environment of welcome, so that God’s love can grow and the church can grow. Tasks of Welcoming: Seek out visitors. Introduce yourself. Talk with them and answer any questions. Offer crayons and paper to those with children. Give them a copy of the church’s brochure. Take them to Sunday school or the nursery for their children if desired. Offer a brief tour of our church. Introduce the visitor to another member of the congregation, to the Greeters, and to the Usher. Assist in writing out a temporary name tag or completing a form for a permanent name tag (located on the table next to the guest book). Invite the visitor to Coffee Hour or other upcoming church events such as a dinner or TELOS or SEED youth fellowship activity. Direct handicapped/impaired persons to the elevators for an alternate egress if they desire. Also indicate the removable chairs in the last row for wheelchair accessibility and other seating available there for those accompanying them.
Prior to the rush of the congregation's arrival, check name tags on the display rack for errors in alphabetical order placement.
Suggested Ways of Starting a Conversation with a Visitor: Begin with a simple “Hello, my name is ….I don’t think we have met before.” This approach allows them to mention if they are visiting or a new resident and avoids possible embarrassment if the visitor happens to have been a member for twenty years. If the visitor responds with “Oh yes we met six months ago at the Strawberry Festival,” the Welcomer can respond with, “Yes, of course. Now I’ll be sure to remember you the next time we meet.”
Time and Locations for Welcomers: Before the Sunday Morning Worship Service: Welcomers should be in the Narthex at least 30 minutes before the service to assist visitors in picking up name tag and also to encourage members to use their name tags. Also encourage visitors to sign the guest book after church. After the service: Welcomers should remain in the Narthex to welcome visitors after the service. This is the best time to engage in conversation and escort the visitors to the Welcome Center and to coffee hour in the Social Room or other church functions if they desire to attend.
Ushers help to assist and make welcome each church worshiper. Their duties include the following: Prepare the sanctuary for worship Greet and seat people and distribute bulletins Collect the offering Return the sanctuary to original condition (pews neat, table and chairs covered, etc.) Ushers will typically meet at the beginning of the year for orientation and scheduling. Each member serves a term of 3 years.
Sunday Fellowship Ministry Every Sunday after 10:00 am worship, our community gathers in the Social Room for coffee, tea, snacks, and vibrant fellowship. Often, information tables are present providing materials on ways to become involved in the church or wider community. Our Social Hour also provides time for celebration of particular people in our community. After worship, come on downstairs to meet and greet your church family.
Interested in being a volunteer for the Sunday Fellowship Ministry? Please write your name on the whiteboard hanging in the Social Room beside the kitchen pass-through.
If you find that on any given assignment week you may have a conflict, please contact Jeff McAvoy.
Social Hour Information and Instructions
What does it mean to help with Social hour? Our Fellowship Team is Jeff M, Carol A, Marilyn W, Donna H, and Cassie M. If you volunteered to bring in food or to help the team set up, please arrive by 9:15 am. Cleanup volunteers are always needed to help the Team. Even if you haven't signed up, please consider staying and helping.