WELCOME HOME! A Manual for Ushers and Greeters Revised June 7, 2013 Building a Community to Change the World 50 Broadway, Chicopee, MA 01020 413-592-5353 www.firstcentralbaptist.com
2 At First Central Baptist Church, we are Building a Community to Change the World. We seek to Glorify God by Connecting people to Christ, the church, and one another; so that we can Grow in our faith, character, and skills; in order to Serve the cause of Christ with our time, talents, and treasures; and to Share the message of the gospel where we live, work, and go to school; both locally, and as far around the world as we can reach. Our ushers and greeters play a vital role in this process. When a newcomer sets foot in the parking lot or the building, the greeters create a first impression of what the community of FCBC is like. The ushers help set the tone for what kind of worship experience a guest can expect. Our greeters and ushers help remove barriers and pave the way for newcomers to connect with Christ and the church. Greeters and ushers help smooth the path for a person to hear from God and grow in their faith. Welcoming has everything to do with how we make people feel. Are they comfortable physically, psychologically, and spiritually? This feeling encompasses the appearance of our grounds and facility to the ease of finding the appropriate place; to being greeted and welcomed yet not smothered; to feeling the joy and anticipation of the congregation and the experience of God s grace; to a sense of opportunities for personal and spiritual growth. The pitfall of many churches is that we think we are friendly because we are friendly to each other. In developing a welcoming ministry, we must begin to see ourselves as others do. Creating a welcoming and hospitable climate begins at the curb and continues into the heart of the congregation. The ministry of welcoming is not the responsibility of a few people or a committee. It is not the sole responsibility of the ushers and greeters. It is the responsibility of the entire church family. Whether the clerk at a hotel desk, a bank teller, a teenager at a fast food restaurant, or the wait staff at your favorite Italian diner, we all know the difference it makes to be served well. It makes so much difference it can determine whether or not we will ever return. Each one of us greeters, ushers, nursery workers, congregation plays a vital role in the process. Greeters provide the first contact when a guest arrives. They seek to make everyone feel welcome and appreciated. They are the front line of welcoming God s guests. They ask, How can I serve you? Ushers are our hosts. They make sure guests and attenders are seated comfortably. They provide the information necessary for an enjoyable worship experience. Nursery workers communicate to parents that their children will be safe and nurtured. They help a young mom or dad to relax and hear what God has to say to them. The congregation engages people they don t know in conversation. They do this for guests, regular attenders, and members alike. It s as simple as saying, Hi, my name is. I don t think we ve met. What s your name?
3 The pastor and worship leaders create a worship atmosphere that exudes the excitement of having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They make it a point to greet people after the service. Together, we seek to create an environment in which guests, newcomers, and seekers are comfortable, and where regular attenders and members are ministers of grace and hospitality. It helps to practice the Circle of 10 and the Rule of 3. Circle of 10: Greet anyone guest, newcomer, regular attender, or member who comes within ten feet of you. Make a special effort to greet the people you don t already know within your Circle of 10. Rule of 3: Try not to talk to other members for the first three minutes after the service. Talk only to those you don t know and to people that you know are guests. It takes guests about three minutes to exit the church after worship so it s important to make sure someone has made contact with them before they leave. GREETERS Greeters are our front line ministers of welcome and hospitality. Greeters usually provide the first official point of contact with FCBC. Your role as a greeter is critically important to set the tone of welcoming in the congregation. As you serve in this ministry, keep these guidelines in mind. Remember to: Prepare yourself spiritually. Come prepared mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Serving as a greeter is a privilege to help connect people with Christ, the church, and one another. Dress appropriately. The attire of the congregation and guests will range from suits and dresses to business casual to jeans and T-shirts. We want to make people feel comfortable and not feel overdressed or underdressed. Arrive early (at least 20 minutes prior to the start of the service) at your assigned door and stay there until after the worship or Sunday School hour begins to assist those who arrive late. Wear your Welcome to FCBC tag so newcomers know who to approach. Welcome each person who enters the building. Shake hands and smile; these are always appropriate greetings that say welcome. Identify newcomers and guests, ask their names, answer their questions, and introduce them to an usher (worship center) or children s worker (first floor). Being a guest or newcomer is unsettling. Help people to feel at home.
4 Leave the doorway to assist people when necessary. Offer to escort people to restrooms, nursery facilities, children s classrooms, and other areas of the church they need to find. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the layout of the facility and location of the restrooms, nursery facilities, children s classrooms, etc. Be informative and helpful. Give people the information they need for the service. This can include a welcome packet, bulletin, ministry brochures, directions, or answer to a question. Continue to greet for at least 10 minutes after the service begins. Follow the directions of the Lead Usher. There may be times when he/she needs to move greeters from one area to another to cover our various entrances. If you cannot be present for your assignment, find someone to take your place. Try to avoid: Getting caught up in lengthy conversations with people. Interrogating newcomers or keeping them too long at the doors, especially if your conversation keeps others outside. Leaving people hanging while waiting for an answer or assistance with a problem. Kissing and hugging; some people (regulars and newcomers alike) feel awkward about being touched in such a personal way by an acquaintance. Be selective and sensitive in demonstrating affection. Leaving your assignment unattended, especially close to the start of the worship service or Sunday School hour when newcomers are likely to arrive. Greeter stations (in order of priority): Welcome center (at desk on first floor across from the nursery; near elevator). Inside foyer doors of sanctuary. Inside tower door.
5 USHERS Ushers are our front line ministers of welcome. Ushers serve as the hosts for worship. Your role as an usher is critically important to set the tone of welcoming in the congregation. As you serve in this ministry, keep these guidelines in mind. Remember to: Prepare yourself spiritually. Come prepared mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Serving as an usher is a privilege to help connect people with Christ, the church, and one another. Dress appropriately. The attire of the congregation and guests will range from suits and dresses to business casual to jeans and T-shirts. We want to make people feel comfortable and not feel overdressed or underdressed. Arrive early (at least 20 minutes prior to the start of the service) at your assigned door and stay there until after the worship or Sunday School hour begins to assist those who arrive late. Wear your Welcome to FCBC tag so newcomers know who to approach Identify guests and newcomers, ask their names, answer their questions, and help them with items to make them comfortable. Make people feel welcome. Being a guest or newcomer is unsettling. Help people to feel at home. Be informative and helpful. Give people the information they need for the service. This can include a welcome packet, bulletin, ministry brochures, directions, or answer to a question. Smile, talk to people, and learn their names. Offer to escort people to restrooms, nursery facilities, children s classrooms, and other areas of the church they need to find. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the layout of the facility and location of the restrooms, nursery facilities, children s classrooms, etc. Offer assistance with finding seats; ask regular attenders and members to make way for guests. Remain available to meet people as they enter the worship center and then assist them throughout the service as needed. Collect the offering. On a divine level, the offering is part of worship; on a practical level, the financial needs of the church are significant. Your smooth and coordinated efforts provide ease and security for the resources that fund the kingdom of God.
6 Get an accurate people count. Every number represents a person. Just like in the book of Acts, they counted, recorded, and celebrated how many people were present and made decisions for Christ. Re-set and clean up the worship center after the service. People will leave papers and stuff. If everyone jumps in, we can make sure the sanctuary is ready for the next service. Take initiative. Pay attention and keep track of what is going on in your area. Jump in if something needs to be done. If you cannot be present for your assignment, find someone to take your place. Try to avoid: Leaving the entrances or the congregation completely unattended at any time before and during the service. Hovering over guests and newcomers or smothering them with too much attention and information. Merely pointing people in the right direction and assuming they can get where they want to go in an unfamiliar building. Asking newcomers and guests to move once they have been seated. Getting distracted with tasks and forgetting to interact with people. Taking the Offering: 4-6 ushers will take the offering during each service four on the main floor and 1-2 in the balcony. When the pastor/deacon calls the ushers forward, the four ushers on the main floor walk down the aisle in pairs. After the prayer the two outside ushers go to the outside aisle. The second set of ushers turn and collect from the center aisle. The balcony ushers head upstairs after the prayer. Once the offering is collected, two ushers walk the money to the counting room (Room 210) where it is deposited in the safe. Place the offering in a plastic bag (located in wooden drawer above the safe) and label it with the service (Sunday 8:30 or Sunday 11:00) and the usher who delivered it. Place it in the dropbox of safe and make sure it went down.
7 LEAD USHERS There will be a Lead Usher assigned to every service. The purpose of a Lead Usher is to have a single point of contact for the Pastor as well as have one person in charge of all Greeters and Ushers per service. Responsibilities of a Lead Usher are (not necessarily in order of priority): The Lead Usher should arrive at least 20-30 minutes prior to the start of the service. Check to make sure the Sanctuary Doors (all 4 of them) are unlocked. Ensure that all areas are staffed prior to the start of service. o Priorities are to have (at minimum) at least one person at the Welcome Center area at the West end of the building and one person in the Foyer. Even if this means you have to pull an Usher to stand in as a greeter. Make sure ALL Ushers and Greeters have their Welcome Tag on. Enforce that all protocols for handling the offering are being followed. Obtain a charged beeper from the nursery. Stay calm and in control during all Emergency Situations. The Lead Usher should be the Point person in all situations until authority is delegated or transferred to an appropriate person (ie: A first responder from our church family, Trustee, Deacon or other responsible person that can act on behalf of the church.). SPIRITUAL QUALITIES of Ushers & Greeters Whether you serve as an usher or a greeter, it is important to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Love In 1 Corinthians 13:13, the apostle Paul says that love is the greatest of these things. If you choose to genuinely love the people we serve as we greet and usher, God will bless your actions. Joy Take God seriously, but don t take yourself too seriously. Lighten up and enjoy the moment. Your spirit will be contagious to others. If you are cold, aloof, and don t smile, you will discourage those who enter the church. Peace You can add peace, calm, and order to what might otherwise be an overwhelming and hectic experience. Patience This is a great quality for an usher and greeter. By the time many people arrive on Sunday morning, they have waited to get ready, waited to get their coffee, waited in traffic,
8 waited to park, waited to drop off their kids... Their patience might be running thin. You can set a good example with your patience toward them. Kindness This attitude helps makes you approachable as an usher or greeter. Think of ways you can show kindness to someone as they come to worship. Goodness This inner quality of goodness is a gift that results from the Holy Spirit s power working within us. This will spill over into our worship service. Faithfulness Showing up, being responsible, and doing your job well as an usher or greeter matters to all of us. Gentleness A mature usher or greeter never throws around his or her authority. They are humble and seek to put others first no matter what. Self-control We cannot hope to control a group of people if we cannot control ourselves. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can be under control in the midst of hectic moments and last minute changes. THREE THINGS THAT CAN HURT A WORSHIP SERVICE Distractions: Our goal is not to achieve a perfect environment. However, the number of common distractions that can occur in any size auditorium is staggering. Any one of these distractions can bring a spiritual moment to a complete stop for the people in the room. If the distraction is large enough, it can affect the entire service. Examples: Small children Cell phones Leaving and entering the service Think through how you would handle each of these distractions. Discouragement: One of the top tactics of the enemy is to discourage believers. This form of spiritual attack is common in a worship service. An usher s quick moments of prayer can literally turn a service around and make or break a life-changing experience. Disorganization: All churches, no matter the size or how well organized, will have their own form of chaos. This is unavoidable when dealing with people in relatively small increments of time. The more you do as an usher or greeter to reduce disorganization and increase the quality of experience for each attender, the more likely they will be able to hear and respond to the voice of God and the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
9 WELCOMING CONVERSATIONS Being a guest or newcomer in church is similar to going to someone else s family reunion. Everybody knows each other, and has histories and experiences in common. However, the guest is left standing on the edge unless someone approaches to hear their stories and include them in the family. To help someone new feel comfortable is to serve them. How you do this is not as important as why. The key is to demonstrate warmth in your smile and tone of voice. Through an authentic welcome and sincere hospitality, we can create a safe space for guests, newcomers, and seekers. We should practice story-listening rather than rushing into storytelling. There will be plenty of time to promote the church later if, first of all, the guest or newcomer feels valued and respected for who they are. HANDLING EMERGENCIES While emergencies are rare, they do happen. The greeters and ushers can help the event be less chaotic. Remaining calm and in control of yourself will help spread comfort and confidence to those around you. Be prepared to be the front line of defense in any situation: Nursery Beeper should be immediately responded to even if it means leaving during an offering. Nursery workers will be instructed to only call (beep) the Usher if : o the parent is not responding to theirs, or o it is a true emergency. Always assume that they need you ASAP. Even though the majority of the time it will not be an actual emergency, always treat it as if it is. Medical Do not hesitate to Call 911. They can always be cancelled. For questionable situations that are not life threatening, refer to the Lead Usher. Should an ambulance be called, the Lead Usher will instruct an usher or member to stand at the top of the exterior stairs (above electronic sign) to wave down Emergency personnel that may come from either direction and have them bring the responders to the patient. o All Ushers and Greeters need to know that our address is: 50 Broadway Street Chicopee, MA, should 911 need to be called. o Saying First Central Baptist Church alone is not acceptable due to the fact that 911 calls sometimes get fielded from other areas in the state. o The AED (Automated Electronic Defibrillator) is located just outside the Sanctuary on the 2 nd floor on the landing by the wheelchair lift.
10 If in doubt, grab it and bring it to the patient. Chances are, either you or someone that is there can use it. Security Situation The most common scenario is someone acting aggressively or inappropriately. Graciously talk to the person and help walk them to the foyer or outside the building. NEVER touch an individual that is agitated. Determine their need and if further action, such as calling the police, needs to occur. Fire The children s ministry team will take charge in evacuating the kids. Our gathering area for the kids will be the pavilion behind the building across the parking lot in the apartment complex. This area is sheltered and away from the building to keep the kids safe from the fire trucks that would be coming in to our lot and surrounding the building. Ushers and greeters will help guide everyone out of the building and stop parents from rushing to get their kids. Miscellaneous emergencies Contact the lead usher should anything out of the ordinary occur. The Lead Ushers will know where the following items/areas are located: o Wheel Chair Lift emergency operation. o Spare Wheel Chair stored behind organ pipes. o AED (Automated Electronic Defibrillator). o Closest fire extinguisher. o Shut offs for: Main gas line. Main Electrical disconnection. Main Water lines (2 separate ones). o Various alarms that may go off in the building and what they are: Burglar alarm panel and 2 sirens. Burglar battery alarm box Rm 211. Fire alarm panel 1st floor. Fire alarm battery alarm box 2nd floor. Refrigerator alarm LFH.