Flowers
The flowers we see each Sunday morning are given by a member or friend of the church honoring or remembering a special person or event in their lives. Beginning in the late summer, we sign-up for the following calendar year with Melinda Albert. Choose a date that's important to you and call Melinda at 860-354-3564.
Bring your arrangement to church by 9:30 and one of the deacons will help you in placing it in the appropriate spot. You should take your arrangement with you after the service. If you're unable to attend church on your Sunday for flowers, and would like to bring them a day early or have them dleivered, call Kim in the church office so she can watch for them.
Greeting
Walking into the church on a Sunday morning and being met with a friendly handshake and a warm smile is a great way to start the service. When it's your turn to greet, you should arrive about 15 minutes before the service. You'll find a name tag has been left for you on the vestibule table. When the service begins, the greeters should close the doors to the sanctuary and take a seat in the church.
Ushering
Two people will be assigned to usher. They are responsible for handing out the bulletins that are placed on the small tables just inside the sanctuary doors. Ushers should be ready to start 15 minutes before the service. At the time of the offering, ushers will go to the front of the church (when the minister is finished speaking) and get the collection plates. The plates should be passed to each pew, including upstairs. After the collection is complete, the ushers should stand at the back of the aisles until the offertory music is completed. When the Doxology starts the ushers should proceed forward to the front of the church, where they remain, holding the plates, until the Prayer of Dedication is complete. The plates should be placed on the table (or on the stage if it is Communion Sunday) and the ushers return to their seats. At the end of the service, the ushers should open the doors to the vestibule and to the outside.
Refreshments
Coffee hour, held at the end of the service in the parish hall, provides an opportunity for fellowship. Set up and preparation for coffee hour should be completed prior to the service. This includes:
· Making the coffee. Directions for coffee set-up are posted on the cabinet door to the left of the serving window in the kitchen. All supplies are in the cabinets and labeled.
· Heat the tea water ahead of time and put in the thermos.
· Bring your own milk or cream, usually 1 quart is fine.
· Set out cups, spoons, sugar, and tea.
· Provide finger food for 40-80 people (depending on the time of year). Food should be ready to serve at the end of the service. It is a good idea to bring something specific for the children’s snack and drink.
· The kitchen must be thoroughly cleaned when you are finished, stove and lights out.
Refreshments are a large responsibility. Always feel free to ask anyone for help or share this duty with another family.
Lay Reader
Let Peter or a Deacon know if you wish to be (or not to be) a lay reader. Readers are responsible for reading a selection from the Old Testament and a selection from the New Testament during the worship service. Sometimes the lay reader will also read the Call to Worship. The selected readings can be emailed prior to the service if the office has a reader’s email address. It is important to practice the readings ahead of time. If there are any words or phrases that are unfamiliar feel free to call Peter.
Lay readers should arrive 15 minutes prior to the service to review their readings. The Call to Worship is printed in the Sunday Bulletin and the readings may be read from the Bible on the altar.
The lay reader enters the church with the minister and sits in one of the chairs behind the altar. When the readings are finished, during the hymn and prior to the sermon, the reader may take a seat in the congregation.
Crib Room
We welcome children in our Sunday service, but when their parents would like an hour of peace, they have the option of childcare in our "crib room." It is usually staffed by members of the Middle School Sunday Class, but for the 2008-09 school year, our Middle Schoolers are all studying for Confirmation and aren't able to miss class. We've been asking for adult volunteers to take an occasional Sunday.
Volunteers should be in the crib room by 9:45, ready to welcome any visitors. During the service, volunteers should engage the children in age-appropriate activities. Once the parents have come to get their children, the volunteers are free to go. The room should be left tidy and the lights turned off. The crib room volunteers may pair up if it is easier. They are not responsible for babysitting during coffee hour. Parents whose children use the crib room or other parts of the parish hall during coffee hour are responsible for leaving that area straightened out.
