Communion Set-Up Help

Each Sunday that the congregation takes communion, someone sets up the plate of bread, the cup of wine, and anything else needed.  Many of us are or used to be nervous about setting up everything "correctly," so I want to share what I have learned:

ATTITUDE:  First of all, preparing communion, which is one of the Sacraments, is a special time!  Consider your attitude as you begin:  are you in a rush?  or you stressed because you are learning how to prepare communion?  did you just have an annoying conversation with someone?  Life happens!  But, take a moment to be in the moment at the church, being reflective and thankful for the opportunity to share your talents so that members will be able to enjoy partaking of communion.  Another hint is that if you set up communion Saturday (instead of Sunday morning), you'll have less stress!

ASK:  Before you prepare the setting, ask the pastor or one of the worship leaders which kind of communion will occur:  either the more formal one with individual cups for wine or the less formal one where we dip the bread into the goblet (intinction).

 LOCATION OF SUPPLIES:  At St. John, the dishes and cloths are in the Sacristy which is a small room to the left of the altar.  You will find them in the left corner cupboard in the far end of the room.  Use the small white table in the Sacristy as your work station. Have a wet towel and paper towels handy for cleanup.

FORMAL SETTING
Equipment:  the trays (4 trays with lid and base); small plastic cups for wine;  silver goblet;  small silver covered dish with lid (for gluten-free communion wafers); small plate for communion bread; communion cloth, white dispenser;  communion bread; wine; and grape juice.  (Ask someone where to find the bread, wine, and juice.)

For regular Sundays:

1.  Fill two trays (ensure that you have the base--a flat tray--under the two trays) with the plastic cups.  Then, fill the dispenser with grape juice (ask someone how to use the dispenser--it's a life saver!)  Fill the center circle of cups with grape juice. Then, pour wine into the dispenser and fill the rest of the cups with wine.  If some wine or juice drips onto the trays, use a paper towel to clean the surface.  Place the lid on the top of the trays.
2. Pour wine into the silver goblet (about 2 or 3 inches).
3. Communion bread may be in the freezer in the kitchen OR you may have to make communion bread, which is not hard (recipe for communion bread).  If the bread is in the freezer, it needs to thaw overnight.  Place two large or three small loaves on the small silver plate.
4. Gluten-free wafers are in the small, covered silver dish.  Have at least 2 wafers in there. 
5. Set up the dishes according to the photo.
6. Using the communion cloth (in the small white box on the shelf), fold the cloth in half and then cover the setting.

For Easter, Christmas, or Celebratory Sunday when more attend service, use at least 3 trays and at least 3 large or 5 small loaves of communion bread.  Have additional gluten-free wafers in the dish.

INFORMAL SETTING

Equipment:  goblet (either blue or silver); plate (either blue or silver); small dish with gluten-free wafers; communion bread and wine.

1. Fill the goblet to within 1 inch of the rim with wine.
2. Place two large or three small loaves on the small silver or blue plate.

 

(If you see errors or omissions or need more instruction, please let Verna Studer know.)

Worship Duties: Reader

A couple of weeks ago we went over instructions for helping out with worship duties like Communion Assisting and Greeting.  Today we're going to look at being a Reader for worship.

In many ways this is the easiest ministry of all.  In fact the hardest part for most folks is simply deciding to do it.  Getting up in front of people can be nerve-wracking for some.  Things to remember:

1.  All you have to do is read.  You don't have to make up a Shakespearean Sonnet on the spot up there.  Everything is written down for you.

2.  Everyone is rooting for you.  I've not heard a person yet sniff, "Well, THAT reader ruined the service for me!"  We're all in this together and people love it when you give them the gift of sharing the Word in this way.

3.  We've all made mistakes up there.  I have.  Everybody who has ever read has as well.  Mistakes don't matter.  Having someone to share God's Word matters.

Having the readings beforehand can help you prepare.  Blank bulletins are kept in a box in the kitchen by the copy machine.  You can find them there or you can always ask me or Phyllis.

People often ask how to pronounce tricky names.  There are a few odd places and people in the Bible and they do show up in readings from time to time!  I can tell you, but the better solution is just to pronounce them however.  Nobody who lived in that hard-to-pronounce city is going to come bursting through the doors and say, "That's WRONG!!!"  In most cases the hesitation while you fish around for the "correct" pronunciation is more awkward than just going ahead and saying it however.  Nobody will notice the difference between "Beth-sai-ee-da" and "Beth-say-da".  Everybody will notice when you pause and think, "Oh no!  What did Pastor Dave say again?!?"

With those things out of the way, here's how to do it:

• Make sure you have a bulletin and have at least skimmed through the readings.
• Walk up to the lectern at the appropriate time and make sure the microphone is properly placed 3-4 inches from your lips and pointing at them.  Too high is bad.  Too low is bad.  Either of those plus too far away is really bad.  The microphone is your friend.  Use it.
• Begin the first and second readings with, "The first/second reading comes from the book of [insert name here], chapter [insert number here]."  You can also say the verses but it's not required, especially when the reading is split between several.  "The first reading comes from the third chapter of Isaiah" is much easier on the ears than "The first reading comes from Isaiah, Chapter 3, verse 16-24 and 39-48b."
• Begin the psalm with, "We will now read responsively from Psalm [number], found in your bulletin."
• It's appropriate to finish the second reading with, "Here end the readings" or some similar phrase.  You can also say that after the first reading and psalm but in my experience, most people know that.  Saying it after the second reading provides a nice mental break point in the service.

And that's it!  Pre-read your readings at least once, come up when it's time, USE THE MIC, and introduce each reading properly.  Easy enough.

We always need readers, so be sure and sign up on the worship help sheet!

--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)

Worship Ministry: Communion Assistant

Last week we started a series on what it takes to help out during worship, looking at the awesome task of greeting and ushering.  This week we're going to talk about assisting with communion.  Note here that we are talking about assisting with communion distribution during worship, not preparing communion before the service.  They're two different tasks.  We'll cover the Altar Guild and communion preparation stuff another time.

People are often nervous about assisting with communion for a couple reasons.  First, it happens up at the altar, a holy place.  Second, it happens up in front of everybody and nobody wants to make a mistake.  Let's address those before we begin.

The altar is a holy place.  It's the center of our worship focus, the place from which goodness flows.  The table there holds the candles representing God's Spirit among us, the bread and wine which will become Jesus' body and blood for us, symbols and decorations reminding us of the Lord.  It's special.

But the altar is not special in an exclusive sense.  Its "specialness" comes from its particular function, not because of some quantity which is present at the altar and not present anywhere else.  Saying you don't feel worthy coming up to the altar because it's holy is the same as a doctor saying he doesn't feel OK about listening  to your heart because the heart it's the central organ in the body.  The heart is special, but it's only special because it touches and enhances the functions of the rest of the body, not because of some mystical component of its tissue compared to all the others.  The altar is special because it's where the holiness starts, but that holiness is only useful and alive when it flows from the altar to all of us, out into the streets, and into the world.  Setting the altar apart as "more holy" in an exclusive sense denies its purpose.  If the ground you're standing on today isn't just as holy as the altar space because of what the altar has done for you, then the altar isn't doing its job.  God doesn't live just behind that altar rail.  God doesn't stay there.  He comes out to us all.  Therefore you're not getting higher or closer to him when you come to the altar, you're simply getting closer to the place he started when he came to dwell in your heart and life.

Therefore nobody should let nervousness about the altar being holy space prevent them from serving in this way.  It is holy, but not in any way which would keep you from serving there.  To claim that kind of exclusionary holiness is to deny the power and purpose of the altar.

As for the second concern...yeah, it's up front.  Everybody sees you.  But we're a friendly bunch.  Besides, it's not like you can make a mistake that we can't fix.  You're not going to toss the communion tray like a frisbee, right?  Then you're good.

When I was first asked to serve up in front of a church, back when I was just a random tenor in the church choir and nothing more, I first had to get over the fear of the "holiness" thing.  Then I had to get over the fear of looking silly.  I remember the first service in which I served.  I got to the end and didn't make any mistakes!  Whew!  I had made it!  I sighed in relief as I descended the stairs from the altar dais to the sanctuary floor...and promptly slipped and fell on my nicely-robed behind, sliding all the way down stair by stair.  That was my introduction to worship leading.  If I can survive that to become a pastor, you don't have anything to worry about.  (And of course nobody there cared anyway.  They were more concerned that I was OK.)

Once we've gotten past those two nervous thoughts, assisting with communion is fairly easy.

The first step is actually the hardest...the one most people forget if they're going to forget anything.  Come forward when the offering plates do.  Let me say that again:  come forward when the offering plates do.  That's right after the offering is taken, as the usher is bringing the plates forward.  Just walk forward with them! Except instead of handing me the offering, just head right on up to the altar.

After you're up there we set the communion rail and lay out the pads.  Then you stand to the side of the dais while I say the Words of Institution.  I may have you hold the bread or wine when I'm lifting them to the congregation.  Both of our buildings have altars that face (or function as) the wall.  In the old Catholic church from which we all sprang altars almost always faced the wall and the priest would go through the communion process with his back to the congregation.  This was fine because communion was seen as our sacrifice for God more than God's for us.  Therefore the priest would lift up the bread and wine to God on behalf of the congregation.  We see communion as God's gift to us, therefore the pastor lifts them out to the congregation on behalf of God.  Having a free-standing altar makes extending the bread and cup much easier.  Sadly they didn't think of that when building these great old churches.  They just did it like it had always been done.  That makes it awkward to leave the cup on the altar when I'm extending the bread, as I'd have to turn around, put the bread down, pick up the cup, and turn back around to the people before continuing.  It's much simpler to just have you hold the cup and switch with me when I'm ready for it.

Once the words have been shared and the gift shown to the congregation we say the Lord's Prayer and I invite people forward.

The communion assistants and I gather together and commune first.  I will offer you the bread and wine.  After I'm done one assistant hands me a piece of bread, saying, "The Body of Christ, given for you."  The other assistant hands me the cup, saying, "The Blood of Christ, shed for you."  (The proper response to each of those statements is "Amen", by the way.)  Then once we have communed I'll point one of you towards the tray of wine cups, the other towards the basket for picking up empty cups.  You simply follow me around a circle...in front of the altar at St. John's, around and behind the altar at Genesee Valley.  To each person you say, "The Blood of Christ, shed for you" and let them take a cup.  Or if you're the other person you pick up the empty cups in the basket.  We keep going around until everyone has communed and that's it!

If you're not sure if someone is communing you have two ways of finding out.  First, you could watch and see if they're chewing.  Unless they brought the Bubble Yum or their can of dip to the altar, that's probably bread, which means they are communing.  If you can't tell even then, just ask.  It's no big deal.

Once communion is finished you help me put away the elements, unlock the altar rail, and we're done!  This actually took far more paragraphs to describe than it does to show.  It's really an easy process:  come up with the offering, hold the cup while I show people the bread, commune with me, follow me around communing everybody else...done!

Celebration Sunday is slightly different but a couple of the singers usually take care of communion assisting on those days.  If you do help on a Celebration Sunday you simply come forward when it's time to commune, lift the bread or cup when the song says, and stand out in front instead of at the altar rail.   But most of you won't have to do that, so focus more on the first Sunday.

Hope this helps put people at ease and encourages all of you to help with this wonderful ministry!

--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)

Worship Ministry: Greeter/Usher

As most of you know we have sign-up sheets at church for people who want to help with worship.  I figured it'd be a good idea to publish broadly what those positions entail.  We've always passed instructions through word of mouth but that makes it harder to sign up sometimes, as you don't know exactly what you're signing up for!  Over the next few weeks we'll run down the various worship ministries so everybody can start on level ground when considering serving in this way.

We're going to begin with the most detailed position, Usher/Greeter.  Our greeter/ushers have by far the most to remember of anybody helping on Sunday outside of the Pastor.  But even then, I think you'll see it's not too hard.

Greeter/Usher


You'll need to arrive 25 minutes before the service during the school year, maybe 15 minutes before in the summer.

Step 1:  Pre-Worship Check

Look around and make sure the following have happened:

1. Lights are on.
2. Front door is unlocked.
3. Bulletins are sitting on the counter and are folded.
4. Offering plates are where you can reach them.
5. Candle lighting material is out and ready to go.  The butane lighter is in the top drawer of the cupboards at St. John's. The candle lighters themselves are above the coat rack.  At the Valley the lighter is behind the altar and matches are on the table in back.
6. The hymn reader board has the correct hymn numbers as printed in the bulletin.  This is usually done before the greeters arrive but if it isn't, the number box is in the drawer at the back of the sanctuary at St. John's or behind the altar at the Valley.

Step 2:  Greet People!

You are the first face people see at church.  Smile!  Make them feel welcome and comfortable.  If someone's new make sure they know they can sit anywhere.  Say hello and assure them they're not going to get jumped on the moment they step in our doors.  Let them go at their own pace.  Just make sure someone has said, "Hello" to them and given them a smile.

Hand out bulletins as people enter.  Also watch for people (especially young people) to help light candles, take offering, and ring the bell.

Step 3:  Worship Duties

You have a couple of tasks at the beginning of the service and a couple at the end.

• Gather your candle lighting people in back.  Light them up and send them as the organist plays the prelude.  If it's a special Sunday and instructions are different, the pastor will let you know.
• Ring the bell following the organist's prelude.
• You get to relax until it's time to take the offering.  Collect it with help from your friends and then send or bring it forward.
• If we're having communion at the altar you may usher people forward.  Start on one side of the church then progress to the other.  Keep people moving with each group filling the altar rail.  It's OK to have people standing in front waiting to go up.  Just keep the line manageable.

Step 4:  After Service

Make sure the lights are turned off when everybody leaves and that the front door is locked if we're at St. John's.


And that's all there is to it!  It seems like a lot at first but really the duties are spread out enough that you're never in a time crunch to do the next thing.  Of all of them, greeting people warmly is the central task.  That's the only one we can't make up for if you forget!

I hope this makes greeting and ushering more comfortable for those already doing it and encourages others to give it a try!

--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)