The Church Usher

whenever people gather in churches there's a need for dignity and quiet that is conducive to worship but occasionally things happen something goes wrong when this happens it calls for prompt action from one train to meet such situations the church usher [Music] the minister as prophet spiritual leader and preacher has the most important role in the worship life of the church he must direct the several activities of the service and create an atmosphere which will help the people achieve a spirit of worship in most churches the minister is assisted by ushers as doorkeepers in the house of the lord and assistance to the minister they have an important function to perform too but without careful planning and preparation the ushers can fail to be an asset to the minister and the service of worship he is directing they can even create more disturbance than order they may even become a disturbing element in the service such a simple thing as the way ushers are dressed can create an atmosphere of harmony and order but if each one is clothed differently the impression is one of confusion and disharmony well let's go back to the beginning and see how this should be done [Music] often the usher provides that all important first impression to the arriving people his appearance is important what the ushers wear may be a matter of decision made by the ushers and the minister in some informal congregations it may be proper for ushers to be coatless in the summer in others the proper mode of dress may be similar colored suits or even formal coats and ties so long as the apparel fits in with the manner of dress of the congregation and the dress of all the ushers is similar good taste can be the criterion uniformity of dress can also be a means of identification another means of identification is the small lapel flower one of the ushers should be selected as the head usher he may be selected by the minister the worship committee official board or board of deacons he holds a position of trust and importance and should be a person of mature judgment with talent for leadership it is his job to see that there are enough ushers on hand at every service to assign the ushers their individual stations to work out the procedures for directing special services and to instruct the other ushers in their duties an important part of the usher's duties is seating the persons as they arrive as persons come the ushers should find out how many are in the party that are to be seated together he will ask them to follow him down the aisle to a place he has selected the usher will stop by the pew in front of the one the people are to enter and turn to face them as the people enter the pew and not before the ushers should give them a bulletin he should wait until they are comfortably seated before returning to the northx for the next group if the people indicate that they would prefer a seat other than the one the usher has selected the ushers should allow them to sit wherever they like always there are those who arrive after the service begins to avoid disturbing the service the ushers should suggest that these wait in the x for a few moments the usher may be guided by instructions in the church bulletin indicating when late arrivals may be seated if possible seats should be saved at the rear of the church so that latecomers can be seated without disturbing the congregation or embarrassing the late arrivers it is helpful if the usher can give them a hymnal open to the proper place so that they can join in the service immediately as the service continues those ushers stationed near the rear should remain at their stations they should look after the physical comfort and well-being of the congregation as inconspicuously as possible if a person becomes ill during the service the quick and quiet action of an usher is needed to avoid disturbing the congregation or embarrassing the sick person an usher should stay with the sick person until it can be determined what should be done in some cases it may be necessary to telephone for a doctor or an ambulance in some churches an agreement is reached with a physician in the congregation that he may be called out of the sanctuary if needed [Music] the actions of the ushers can emphasize that the offering is a solemn act of worship the ushers should not do anything that will call attention to themselves the keynote here is dignity and poise normally each usher will receive one plate and will proceed to an assigned aisle and begin passing the plate along the row of worshipers his partner at the other end of the pew will pass his plate down the next row each usher will remain at the end of the pew where his plate is being passed until it reaches the opposite end he will then move to the next row to receive the plate that has arrived there he will then skip one row and start passing the plate he has received down the next view [Music] if the pew is not filled with people so that the plate can be passed easily along the pew the usher may simply offer the plate to those near the end of his aisle and go on to the next few where holy communion is received at the front altar the head usher must work out some plan for moving the people easily to the front and then back to the seats he will need to know how many persons the altar can accommodate at a time he will want to designate certain aisles for persons to come forward and others for their return to their seats [Music] he will want to assign ushers at strategic points to direct persons in these paths other ushers will stand at the ends of the fuse they will indicate to the persons in the pews when they are to come forward when as many persons as can be accommodated have been invited the usher will stand at the end of the empty pew to indicate to the others that they are to wait in churches where communion is received in the pews the church elders or deacons may serve communion or the ushers may be designated to do it it will be handled similarly to passing plates for the offering as the service ends the ushers assist the pastor in representing the welcome spirit of the church they are particularly attentive to visitors giving them a cordial invitation to come again or perhaps asking them to fill out a visitor's card for the pastor's information they are alert for those who need special help all in all it is a wonderful opportunity to be a vital part of the worship of the church community a doorkeeper in the house of the lord the church usher [Music] you