Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
-Romans 12:13
Becoming more involved with worship services is a great way to meet people, contribute your time and talent, and develop your spirituality.
Worship volunteers will receive a reminder e-mail several days before the service with more detailed instructions on their role. We understand that unforeseen things come up and can make adjustments if a volunteer becomes unavailable.
Usher
Serving as an usher is a great way to meet people and help the worship service run smoothly. Good Shepherd worship services are relaxed and informal gatherings, with lightweight ushering demands.
Each usher will welcome congregants at the entrance to the sanctuary, making sure each one gets a bulletin and can find a comfortable place to sit, including those arriving a few minutes late.
After the service has started, an usher will count attendance in the sanctuary and nursery, including the pastor and musicians.
During communion, the pastor will provide instructions to the congregation on how to gather, and will depend on each usher to help the congregation follow those instructions. The pastor will also rely on each usher to help identify any mobility-challenged congregants in need of communion.
Lay Reader
The lay reader will read the first and second lesson bible verses and any spoken psalms in the first half of the service, and the prayers in the second half of the service. The verses and prayers will be provided to the reader several days before the service, and will also be available in printed form at the lectern. The lay reader will need to follow the bulletin to ensure they arrive at the lecturn in time for the reading.
Fellowship Server
After each worship service, the narthex area outside the sanctuary entrance allows congregants to gather for conversation, and the fellowship server ensures that refreshments are available there. Before the worship service begins, the fellowship servers plug in the coffee makers and fill them with the appropriate coffee. Before the worship service ends, the fellowship servers make sure the coffee, cups, donuts, napkins and/or any other refreshments are ready in the narthex for the congregation as the service concludes. Afterwards, the fellowship servers clean up, bringing the used coffee cups to the kitchen dishwasher.
Flower Delivery
After each worship service, the two bouquets of flowers are brought to members of our congregation unable to attend the worship service in person. This provides them an opportunity to remain connected and for conversation. A list of recipients for the flower delivery is found in the sacristy (the hallway next to the sanctuary), along with the plastic vases used to hold and transport the flowers after they have been removed from the sanctuary vases.
Communion Assistant
Communion is usually served at two stations. Communion assistants will first receive communion from the pastor, and will then assist in the distribution of the elements (bread and wine) to the congregants. An assistant may distribute the bread, another the wine, and yet another may collect the used cups.
Chancel Care
A chancel care volunteer helps with communion by setting up the elements before the worship service and cleaning them up after the service has concluded. Communion set-up includes unpackaging the bread, filling trays with filled wine cups, adding water to the baptismal font, and placing the linens from on the altar. After the worship service concludes, a chancel care volunteer removes the linens, cleans the trays and disposes of the used cups.