CALVARY EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Usher Instructions - 2006

I. GENERAL GUIDANCE

A. Ushers are a direct reflection of Calvary and give the first impression of the parish to all visitors and parishioners. Remember, visitors may need extra guidance and directions and might be introduced to greeters or parishioners for that purpose.

B. Calvary is a downtown church and has many outreach programs during the week. If anyone comes in asking for help, food, or money, welcome them and greet them. But, generally ask them to come back on Monday when staff is present to accommodate their specific needs or requests. Do not give them money, as this only encourages them and others to come on Sunday when help is generally unavailable. Invite them to join the service and to the coffee hour afterward. at the end of the service.

C. Likewise, do not let visitors go through the clothing or food closets or wander through the offices and building. Again, ask them to return Monday or later in the week.

D. When faced with an emergency, call 911 for medical help, or police if visitors ignore your quieting attempts. Although disruptive and sometimes confrontational, most visitors will calm if you ask them to, or failing that, ask them to please leave. Intervene if any visitor insists on panhandling parishioners.

E. Thank you for volunteering for this necessary function. Call your captain, or the chairman if you need further guidance. Training programs will be held to review the usher functions and answer any questions.

II. REGULAR USHERS

A. Four ushers are needed for the main service, normally 11:00 a.m., and are assigned monthly. The first name on a monthly usher list and in the Sunday service bulletin serves as the captain for that month. Each captain can guide the ushers with respect to their duties. Should any usher be unable to attend on one of his Sundays, he should find a replacement and advise the captain.

B. Ushers should arrive at Calvary 20-30 minutes prior to service.

C. Pre-Service Duties.

1. Ushers should hand out bulletins and help seat parishioners and visitors.

2. Answer any questions from visitors or parishioners, direct them for special events, and turn them over to greeters, other parishioners, or the clergy for further assistance.

3. One usher should keep an accurate count of attendees, using a counter placed with the bulletins on the table for that purpose. This counter is taken to the altar along with the bread and wine. See Paragraph D.1. below.

D. Duties During Service.

1. All four ushers are needed for the offertory. Immediately following the greeting, and following any comments or announcements of the priest, when the priest says the offertory sentence, (usually “Walk in love...”), all four ushers are to process up the center aisle, the first two carrying the wafers and wine, placed on the table at the right side of the center aisle by the altar guild prior to service, and the counter. At the nave, the two following ushers stop and pick up the collection plates (2 each) and remain in place while the two preceding ushers take the wafers, wine and counter to the altar. After presenting the wafers, wine and counter to the priest, the two ushers should turn inward toward each other and proceed back to the other two ushers, receiving an offertory plate from the following two ushers, and then going to the outer aisles. The ushers should all collect their various aisles.

2. The ushers should meet at the back of the church and two should carry the four offertory plates to the acolyte at the rail and then exit out of the left and right sacristy doors and continue throughout both floors of the church building for a security check.

3. The four ushers should process up their four aisles during communion and stop at the head of each aisle while the choir is given communion. Thereafter, each aisle is released and cleared to go to communion in such fashion as to avoid long lines of communicants waiting to approach the altar rail and at the same time avoid keeping the priest and chalice bearers waiting by not having a steady supply of communicants at the altar rail.

4. Be aware if anyone in your aisle or section requires communion served in their pew and communicate this to the communion and chalice bearer serving in the nave.

E. Post-Service Duties.

1. Pick and tidy up and discard any bulletins left in the pews and generally return church to orderly condition.

2. Place prayer books and hymnals in place.

3. Take any food left at the back of the church for the food closet to the food closet.

4. The head usher is responsible for securing the narthex doors after all people have departed. Remember the side handicapped accessible door near the bathroom must also be separately locked. Also remember that the outside gate, which has to be unlocked to open the ramp for wheelchair users needs to be locked using the bicycle lock which will be kept on the gate but locked. The key to this bicycle lock is in the first aid kit.

III. LIBRARY/NORTH END USHERS

A. The north end entrance to Calvary is used by our downtown clientele for food, clothing and other help. While these services are not available Sunday, people sometimes would come in need of services anyway. Before Ned Morris’ arrival, the north entrance doors were locked during the main service to keep people from wandering through the parish hall, offices and looking for clothing, food or something else. This presented a challenge to Ned Morris who thought the church should not be locked, especially during the service, and a new Sunday morning ministry was formed to keep the doors open and, at the same time, provide assistance to our parishioners and visitors.

B. The library/north end ushers are assigned weekly and consist of a single person. It would be wonderful to have 52 people signed up. It is possible to serve as a library/north end usher and a regular usher and would make a lot of sense.

C. Duties of Library/North End Usher Pre-Service.

1. Insure there are sufficient bulletins on the library table for those entering church from this entrance. Coordinate with the regular ushers in this regard.

2. Be there to greet parishioners and visitors. It is unnecessary that the library/north end ushers be active and they may be able to perform their duties seated.

D. Library/North End Ushers Duties During Service.

1. Remain in the entrance of the church or in the library during the service, where you can participate in the service, including going to communion and keep an eye on the door.

2. If a visitor comes in, ask if you can help them, and direct them into the church. If they are looking for food, clothing or money, see General Guidance Part I above.

3. Entering the nave after the liturgy has begun can be disruptive. Please invite those arriving after the service has begun to enter the nave at a natural transition point. Appropriate times for someone to enter include, during the singing of hymns, and anthems, and the recitation of the Psalm, after a prayer has concluded, or in between readings. Please ask them to wait until the end of a reading or prayer before entering. This will prevent the potential distraction of the person reading or leading a prayer and the congregation as well.