Lay-led Sunday Services Cancelling Sunday Services Preparing the sanctuary for Sunday Services Sunday Services Committee-- how we operate Sunday Service leader Musician agreement
Cancelling Sunday Services 1. Person in charge of Sunday service (either minister or coordinator) consults with minister, president or vice-president at 7:30am and decides what to do. Be sure that one person making the decision has spoken to someone in Kingston for conditions there. 2. IF SERVICES ARE CANCELLED, we will put the cancellation notice on the message machine at the office by 8am, so people can call 331-2884 after that. (See #4 below for instructions) People can also call a board member: Unless there is a cancellation notice on the message, services will be held as usual. 3.As soon as possible, and before 8am, minister or service coordinator puts a message on the UUCC answering machine saying that the services are cancelled. Here's how to do that from a remote location. call 331-2884 while the greeting is playing, press 777 to access the messages listen to the messages when they are over, you will be instructed to press 5 for more commands press 5, then 7* to record a new greeting once you have recorded the greeting (for a sample see below), then either hang up the phone OR press # to replay what you have recorded Message: "Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Catskills. Please join us on Sunday mornings for services and Sunday school. PLEASE NOTE THAT DUE TO WEATHER, SERVICES FOR (DATE) HAVE BEEN CANCELLED. The office is open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from noon -6pm. If no one is here to answer your call, please leave a message. If this is an emergency, call ---------. We are located at 320 Sawkill Road in Kingston, one and one half miles north of Washington Avenue and one and one half miles south of the Sawkill exit of route 209. Hope to see you." 4. Notifying congregation of the policy: There will be a line in each order of service and January-February-March newsletters to the following: IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING SUNDAY SERVICE CANCELLATIONS DUE TO WEATHER, PLEASE CALL THE OFFICE (that morning) FROM 8:15AM ON, 331-2884, AND THE MESSAGE MACHINE WILL TELL YOU IF THE SERVICE IS CANCELLED. An e-mail will be sent to the congregation with policy, and the following request Sunday support people: musicians, HUGS, Welcome table, RE teachers, angels,
nursery caregiver, will be especially asked to be sure to check the message machine if the weather is at all questionable. If you do not feel safe driving, please do not do so.
Preparing the Sanctuary on Sunday Morning MAIN ROOM chairs out according to diagram on pulpit mike stand beside pulpit, adjusted to height and secured mike in the stand, sound check performed (replacement batteries in the black case in pulpit) small table in front of pulpit has chalice and woven cloth, matches, taper and snuffer Armless chair on platform pulpit in center of platform, along platformʼs front edge, with casters in place nothing on pulpit except instructions for sound system and diagram of seating hymnal in top shelf of pulpit Put out all hymnals table beside pulpit contains bowl with water in it and stones for joys and sorrows nothing on the piano music stands in the corner near the piano no garbage, papers, coffee cups, toys, clothing, you name it, around offering baskets with pen and envelopes in each in the back near the lights (replacement pens and envelopes in the guest table) SOCIAL AREA Tables: 1 open in front of doors in social room for soup&sandwich set-up area vacuumed if needed vacuum in the utility room HALL: literature on the pamphlet racks-- neaten up SMALL MEETING ROOM: pick up any garbage BATHROOMS: make sure there are extra rolls of toilet paper in each cupboard (extras are in cupboards above kitchen counter and in bathroom wall cupboard) make sure toilets are clean, particularly seat and behind the seat THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!!!
Lay Lead Services: How We Operate The principle goal of the lay lead services committee is to provide the congregation with a very good worship experience on those Sundays that the committee has responsibility for the service. The services committee will work to accomplish this goal by: 1. Working closely with the minister to 1. Understand and act on feedback the minister receives about lay lead services 2. encourage members of the congregation to communicate with the committee directly 3. establish training events for members of the congregation that will lead Sunday services 2. Holding regular monthly meetings of the members of the committee at which 1. the content of future services will be discussed and defined including the coordination and leading of the services 3. Implementing a strategy for leading and coordinating lay lead services that will include: 1. Coordination responsibilities 1. Serve a primary point of contact with the speaker 2. Discuss with speaker the topic of the talk and how it will be appropriate for a UUCC Sunday service 3. Coordinate with the music committee for music in the service 4. Coordinate with the speaker and other members of the congregation for Not for Children Only 5. Coordinate with the treasurer for the speaker!s remuneration 6. Coordinate with the service leader and define how the speaker will be introduced. 2. Leader Responsibilities and qualifications 1. The leader will lead the congregation in the service 2. The leader will have been trained in service leadership by: 1. Assisting the minister in services for one month 2. Attend at least one training event given by the minister 3. Members of the congregation that are not members of the committee can be service leaders if they have assisted the minister in services and attended a training event. In particular, members of the board will be called on to be service leaders.
Sunday Service Lay Leader Responsibilities Arrive by 8:30 in order to set up for the service. The speaker should also be asked to arrive then as well. You are responsible for the entire setup for the service. Other people will help with this but you need to be sure that everything is done. You want to avoid having to search for things (like the matches) during the service. Some of the things to pay attention to are: Ÿ Arrangement of the chairs Ÿ Song books are out Ÿ Speakers are on Ÿ Water is in the bowl for Joys and Sorrows Ÿ Childrenʼs chairs are in place Ÿ Chalice, matches, snuffer, silver match dish are on the table in front of podium Ÿ Podium lights are on (switch is near the Welcome Table) Ÿ Hymnals are in the pulpit Ÿ Offering baskets are in the back, on the bookshelves Ÿ Do a microphone check. Everyone in the service must use the microphone. If possible prepare three copies of the talk ahead of time to give to Eunice, Franklin, and Leo. Make sure that extra batteries for the mic are in the black case in the podium. If the light on the microphone is red, put in a new battery and discard the old battery. Ÿ Match the outline for the service to the one that the congregants see. You could write insert the song numbers and other specifics into the general outline to enhance the flow. Be sure to review what is happening with the speaker before the service. Ÿ Review the words for the service parts so that you can make eye contact with the room. People will not feel welcome if you are talking to the podium. Ÿ Find out the name of the person at the welcome table and introduce them by name during the welcome. Ÿ Arrange with someone to take the microphone for Joys and Sorrows.
Ÿ Give yourself time to collect yourself before the service begins. In order to serve others you need to "forget yourself." Each congregant is at the service looking for something. Newcomers often give us only one try. If we do not impress them favorably the first time, we might not see them again. As a leader you represent the entire congregation. Ÿ Be fully present. Introduce yourself. Look over the heads of the congregants at the back wall as a way of connecting to the entire group. If you do make a mistake when leading everyone will understand. Just be real and be clear about any corrections. You want to give the impression that you know what is going on so that the congregants feel comfortable. Ÿ After the service thank the speaker and give him / her the honorarium if applicable. Escort them to coffee hour. (Be sure to keep the area for the lunch tables clear however.) Ÿ After the second service, pour the water out of the Joys and Sorrows bowl. (Linda uses it to water the plants or the garden.) Put things away on the pulpit. Put the chalice and things back on the altar table.
Agreement Between Sunday Service Committee & UUCC Musicians A UUCC musician is available to provide Prelude & Offertory and play songs from our UUCC songbook for each lay led service If a Guest Speaker wishes to have special music he/she must provide it (the recording, or the means to accompany one self) If a Guest Speaker wants the Congregation to sing a song that is not in our songbook he/she must provide readable copies for the Congregation to sing The musicians of UUCC will accompany songs that are not in our UU songbook which have been selected by the guest speaker if : 1) Musicians are given the full music (melody & accompaniment, not just a melody line or just words w/ chords) 2) Musicians are given two weeks lead time 3) Musicians are given the option to say no if the selection is uncomfortable, difficult, or unacceptable.