NOTES FOR WELCOME TEAM AND READERS AT 10am SERVICE
WELCOME TEAM
Please arrive for Welcome Team duties at least 20 minutes before the service begins, in good time to get the books ready to give out and greet the first arrivals. As well as these, give out News from the Pews (one per family) and anything else that has been left for you to give out. At St Stephen’s, have one person greet people in the porch as they come in, and one to hand out the books and papers.
Give a special welcome to newcomers, finding them a seat, and someone to sit with them where appropriate, and giving them a Welcome Pack. One of you should sit at the back, ready to greet late-comers, and deal with any problems that arise in the service.
Count the number of people present (16 and over and under 16 separately) as a check with the Churchwarden or the person deputising. These figures are needed for the Register for all services, as well as for letting the clergy know the number of communicants at Communion services. Give the total number of communicants to the person receiving the offertory plates from you when you take them to the altar. Give the figures (communicants and attendees separately) to the clergy after the service, or leave a note of them beside the Register in the vestry.
Take the collection during the appropriate hymn. Ask beforehand if you are not sure which hymn it is. If the two offertory plates have not been given to you, please collect them yourself.
Where necessary, guide people up to the altar during Communion .
At the end of the Service collect books as they are handed in and any that are left in the Church. Please ensure that the Church is tidy, e.g. that there are no News from the Pews or other items left in the pews, or on the chairs, and that kneelers are replaced on the pews.
If there is no Churchwarden present, and no-one deputising, you may need to assist the clergy with other tasks, e.g. putting the hymn numbers on the board, setting up the sound system, lighting the candles, putting the overhead projector in place and putting the screen up. Please help if you can.
Copies of the readings are usually given to readers during the week before they are due to read. In case they are not, the Bible references for the readings can usually be found on the back of the Parish Magazine. Where there are two readers, you do not have to read in the order in which your names appear on the rota. If you prefer, you can agree between yourselves who does which reading. Please make sure that you are aware of the sentence to be said after the reading, i.e. (after the first reading) This is the Word of the Lord and (after the Gospel) This is the Gospel of the Lord.
The microphone should be used, even though you may think you can be heard. Those with hearing aids connected to the loop system will not be able to hear unless the microphone is used. (At St Aidan’s, switch the microphone on – the switch is at the end of the microphone. There is also a light you can switch on if you need it.)