Fair Havens Community Church – Ushers Guide
The bible says “Better is one day
In your courts than a thousand
elsewhere; I would rather be a
doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the
wicked” (Psalm 84:10)
Ushers are usually the first official
representatives of the church that
people meet when they enter the
church sanctuary. The Ushers dress,
attitude, words, demeanor, body
language all speak a message to the worshipper. As God’s servants to his people, Ushers would take care that nothing interferes with the awesome character of this encounter between God and his people at this time and place.
At Fair Havens Community Church there are three distinct functions within the Usher group:
- Head Usher
- User Captain
- Usher
Head Usher
The Head Usher is responsible for recruiting and training new Ushers when required and for ensuring that all Ushers understand the Fair Havens Community Church – Usher’s Guide.
The Head Usher will arrange nametags for new Ushers so that all Ushers are identified by name.
The Head Usher will develop an Usher schedule list for the year. The church bulletin will identify “this Sunday” and “next Sunday” Ushers. The list of Ushers is to have an Usher Captain plus 4 Ushers for each Sunday morning service.
The Head Usher will arrange Ushers for special services (e.g. Good Friday, Christmas Eve, etc.)
Usher Captain
There will be an Usher Captain for each User team.
The Usher Captain will be one of the 5 Ushers assigned to Usher duties for the morning service.
The Usher Captain should arriver 20 minutes prior to the start of the worship service.
Duty of Usher Captain
- Ensure church bulletins are available on table at rear of sanctuary. If
Bulletins are not in this location, check the church office.
- Ensure that the 6 collection plates are available on table at rear of sanctuary.
On communion Sundays, the collection plates will be required a second time for the Benevolent Fund offering. Ensure they are available on the table at rear of sanctuary for this after the offering. DO NOT mix Benevolent Fund offering monies with church offerings.
- Ensure scheduled Ushers are available. Recruit additional Ushers as
required to make up quota.
- Assign Ushers for each aisle.
- Arrange for any seats needed for special occasions. This may be required for Sunday School presentation, AWANA Sunday, baptism, etc.
- Ensure that sanctuary doors are opened and closed at appropriate times.
Generally the 2 central doors should be open until the start of the service and then closed. One of the 2 doors should be manned to facilitate latecomers. The single side door is self-closing.
- Ensure that complete attendance is taken and recorded. This count should
be taken from the Audio/Visual room and before the exit for Kidz church.
- As people leave the sanctuary for Kidz church operate the doors as
required.
- On completion of the church service, open the 2 central doors for
congregational exit.
Usher
Generally, 5 Ushers are required for a Sunday morning service. One of the 5 Ushers will be the Usher Captain. The primary role will be to hand out the Church Bulletin and collect the offering.
Ushers should be in position 15 minutes prior to the start of the worship service.
Ushers should be familiar with location of emergency exits, location of fire extinguishers, and location of wheelchairs.
Ushers should be familiar with time and location of Kidz Church and advise people as required.
Ushers should be aware and alert of peoples needs throughout the whole service.
Duty of Ushers
- Put on your Usher nametag. If your own nametag is not available use one
with USHER on it. Nametags are stored in drawer of table at rear of
sanctuary.
- Take up position at each entrance door to the sanctuary with church
bulletins in hand. Initially more than 1 Usher should be at the central doors
as this is the main entrance to the sanctuary.
- Greet everyone warmly as they enter the sanctuary. Be aware of any Newcomers and direct them to seats as appropriate. This is not to point out vacant seats but to actually walk with them to vacant seats. Be aware of any special needs and assist as required (e.g. wheelchair, walker access, family sitting together, etc.) Know where available seats are when the church is filling up.
- Offer each person a church bulletin. Do not assume that families are sharing a
bulletin. Often the church bulletins contain sermon notes and everyone needs
to receive these notes.
- Be aware when it is offering time and with plate in hand be in position at back
of each of the 5 aisles awaiting direction from pastor to be called forward. The Usher collecting in the centre aisle will have 2 offering plates whereas the other 4 Ushers will have 1 offering plate each.
- Walk to front of each row and await pastor’s prayer for the offering.
- Collect the offering working from front rows to back rows making sure that everyone gets an opportunity to give. The Usher in the center aisle and the Usher in the two inner aisles will be collecting from rows on either side of them whereas the Ushers on the outside aisles will only have rows on one side to collect from.
Note: When collecting the offering, position yourself at the ends of each row in turn such that it does not look like you are checking who gives. At the same time be aware where the offering plate is in each row.
- When each Usher has collected the offering, two Ushers must take all the collection plates to the church office. In the office, the content of each collection plate is to be completely emptied into the money pouch that will be available on top of the desk with a padlock. Close the money pouch, padlock it, place it in the safe and close the safe (when the safe is closed/locked), it must be a two Usher function.
- Return the 6 empty offering plates to the table at the rear of the sanctuary.
- On completion of Usher duties, leave nametag in drawer of table at rear of
sanctuary.
Issued December 2012