Mission

Our mission is to facilitate, in an orderly manner, a caring and warm welcome in a safe and inviting environment that enhances the worship experience for all who visit or make the Church of the Epiphany their spiritual home.

Before the 10:00 A.M. Service

Ushers and greeters are requested to arrive at 9:30 a.m. The children’s minister will brief ushers before the service about any special occurrence regarding children that Sunday.
Check that the parking cones and signs are out at the curb (reserving space for approximately three cars).
If the weather is warm, open windows and doors as appropriate.
Ensure that service bulletins, offertory plates, oblation gifts, and attendance recorder are in place in the narthex.
Determine that two ushers and a greeter are present; be prepared to recruit substitutes in the event of an absence. If a greeter is absent, you may ask a vestry member to substitute (see list at back of service bulletin).
One usher is responsible for recording attendance; count everyone, including children who come in later. If the children have not come in by the time for collecting the offering, the usher will need to solicit help from a parishioner in the rear of the church to count the children and teachers when they do come in. (Another procedure for counting the children is to go to the church school classrooms during the service and count the children and teachers before they come into church.)
Greet parishioners with a service bulletin, and encourage them to wear a nametag. (This should be done quietly, since people in the pews are in meditation.)
Consult the bulletin for the name of the oblation bearers, and when they arrive, confirm that they will be bearing the gifts. If the designated bearers do not arrive, recruit substitutes.
Greeters stand outside the building (weather permitting) to greet visitors and attempt to learn how they heard about Epiphany. Greeters also direct newcomers to the appropriate children’s programs.
Ushers or greeters may inform families with children that there is childcare and church school and that the children are also welcome in worship.
Greeters may use the handout called The Sunday Morning Guide for information about the children’s programs. This blue flyer includes a map that will help greeters and newcomers know where children should go. Copies of the flyer are on the bulletin board inside the parish hall entrance.
Ushers and greeters should point parents to the quiet toys for children in the narthex.

During the 10:00 A.M. Service

Remain available near the rear of the church to assist as needed.
Once the service has begun, try not seat people in the main aisle; please direct latecomers down side aisles.
People may be seated at any time during the service except during the Lessons and the Gospel.

The Lessons and the Gospel

Do not seat people during readings of the Lessons or the Gospel.
In the event of an arrival during the reading of a Lesson or the Gospel, ask the latecomers to wait until the reading ends before being seated.

The Offering

Two ushers collect the offerings, one for each side of the church.
Once the anthem begins, proceed to the front pew, bow toward the altar, and begin the collection.
Because many parishioners make their contributions monthly or by credit card, use your judgment about whether the plate needs to be passed down a given row.
On completion of collecting, one usher consolidates the plates (one atop the other) and waits for the end of the anthem.
If the children and teachers have been counted by this time, the attendance recorder can be put in the offering plate.

Presentation of the Gifts

Ushers should check that the oblation bearers have the gifts in the appropriate order: one person carries the bread and one the wine and the water (wine in the right hand and water in the left hand). If the wine and water vessels have handles, carry them by the body with the handles facing forward so that the receiving acolyte can take them by the handles. The person on left carries the bread, and the person on the right, the wine and the water.
As the hymn begins, wait until the acolyte moves in front of the altar to receive the collection before starting down the aisle. The oblation bearers follow a few steps behind the usher and wait at the foot of the steps while the usher presents the offering.
The usher carrying the collection plates proceeds down the aisle and sets the plates in the plate being held by the acolyte.
The usher bows toward the altar and waits for the celebrant to bless the offering before exiting through one of the side doors and down the side aisle to the back of the church.
The oblation bearers present the gifts to the receiving acolytes, bow toward the altar, exit through one of the side doors, and return to their seats via the side aisle.

Communion at the Altar

Once the clergy have received communion and the deacon and eucharistic minister have proceeded to the front of the lectern to set up the standing communion station, the choir (if present) will proceed to the altar rail.
Two ushers then proceed to the first occupied pews, bow toward the altar, and then proceed to release parishioners into the main aisle to go forward for communion.
Guide the first communicants toward the altar rail; while being attuned to the flow of people and space at the altar rail, release other rows to keep a flow going forward. Try to arrange the flow so that there are always people at the altar rail to receive communion.

Recessional Hymn

Once this hymn begins, open the main doors and the doors in the rear to the Meditation Garden.
Make sure the doors into the parish hall are open and that nothing is obstructing passage into the parish hall.
The greeter should move the information basket to the bottom of the steps outside the main doors for use in the greeting line.

After the 10:00 A.M. Service

The greeter stands at the end of the greeting line outside the church to welcome visitors and hand out Epiphany information (working with the clergy on this).
If the attendance recorder was not brought forward with the offering, ushers deliver it to the sacristy.
Collect bulletins, debris, quiet toys, and so on from the pews and return them to appropriate spots in the narthex. The bulletins can be left on the table there for recycling.
At the same time, replace prayer books and hymnals in the pew racks (prayer books on the left and hymnals on the right).
Close any open windows.
Bring in the parking signs and cones (they live under the table in the narthex).

Before the 8:00 A.M. Service

Only one usher is required, and he or she is requested to arrive by 7:50.
Please put the parking signs and cones out at the curb in front of the church (reserving room for approximately three cars).
If the weather is warm, open windows and doors as necessary.
Ensure that the service bulletins, offertory plate, and attendance recorder are in the narthex.
Greet parishioners with a bulletin, and invite them to wear a nametag.
Tell parents about the quiet toys available in the narthex.
Record attendance.

During the 8:00 A.M. Service

Latecomers may seat themselves.
Around 8:10, you may put the recorder in the collection plate and be seated in a pew toward the back of the church, remaining available in case of need.

The Offering

After the peace and the announcements and at the words "Let us walk in love, as Christ loved us.... ," walk to the front pew, bow toward the altar, and proceed with the collection.
Wait at the back of the church with the filled collection plate until the LEM moves in front of the altar; then move forward with the collection plate.
Stop at the steps, reverence the altar, and then move forward to hand the collection plate to the LEM.
Reverence the altar and wait for the celebrant to bless the offering before exiting through a side door and returning by a side aisle to the back of the church.

Communion

People will progress to the altar after the clergy have taken communion; the usher will be the last communicant.

Recessional

After the celebrant blesses the people, open the main doors.

After the 8:00 A.M. Service

Collect bulletins and trash from the pews and return them to appropriate spots in the narthex.
Replace hymnals in the pew racks (prayer books on the left and hymnals on the right).

Epiphany A to Z

Updated: 2008/12/10 dh