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ROYAL GUARD
DUTY STATIONS AND FUNCTIONS
If your duty station is 1 or 7 (Sanctuary \ balcony stairs \ altar)
Your assigned tasks are #1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8.
If your duty station is 2 or 6 (Door coverage \ pass out bulletins (when needed))
Your assigned tasks are #1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
If your duty station is 3, 4 or 5 (Door coverage \ pass out bulletins (when needed))
Your assigned tasks are #1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
If your duty station is A2, A3, A4, A5 or A6 (Aisle coverage for seating \ altar)
Your assigned tasks are #1, 2, 3, 4, and 6.
If your duty station is RH1 (Rotunda greeter),
Your assigned tasks are #1, 2, 3, and 5.
If your duty station is E4 (Altar \ seating \ platform)
Your assigned tasks are #1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7.
If your duty station is PLFB-PLBB (Parking)
Your assigned tasks are 1, 2, 3 and 8.
If your duty station is PA (Pastoral Assistant)
Your assigned tasks are 1, 2, 3 and 7.
If you are a man, your assigned tasks include task 6 to help catch.
ROYAL GUARD DUTY STATIONS TASK CHECKLIST
(The First Three Tasks Are For Everyone)
Be familiar with all the assigned tasks and those who are responsible for carrying them out. Be prepared to assist or replace or fill-in wherever a need may arise.
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TASK 1 |
Prepare your heart to serve the people and be a blessing to them before you come to church. Dress neatly, wear usher badge, use breath mints. Arrive 30 minutes before start of service. Be firm, flexible and friendly. |
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TASK 2 |
Be continually filled with God's Holy Spirit, stay alert in prayer, maintain eye contact, be aware of your environment. Handle problematic situations through praying in the Spirit, binding and loosing, and using the authority and anointing you have "in Christ." |
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TASK 3 |
Know the layout of the new sanctuary, building and where main sanctuary lights are. You should be able to give directions and information to those who may need assistance to various classrooms, offices and restrooms. Also know how to get an announcement on the projection screen. |
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TASK 4 |
Greet people appropriately, smile, hand out bulletins and other material to those who did not get them at the door. Know where the empty seats are. Responsible for directing traffic flow (use ropes and oral) for seating order in sections. Restricting seating areas for pastoral staff, guests and ushers. Manage distracting and noisy people. Develop effective crowd control methods for best way of entering and exiting people in and out of sanctuary. Straighten up seating section between services. Re-rope your seating section between services. |
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TASK 5 |
(RH1)-Greet people appropriately at rotunda doors, smile, hug, ("Good Morning, Welcome to Immanuel's"). After 30 to 40 minutes close the doors to station 4 and take your post inside and outside station 4 door. [At stations 3,4,5,] manage distracting and noisy people & control people from walking in and out during communion, the altar call, and other sensitive times (but do not grab or lay hands on anyone). Greet people appropriately, smile, hug, ("Good Morning, Welcome to Immanuel's"), answer questions and give directions. All handicapped people can enter and exit STATION 4 as they desire. Offer assistance where needed. Do not Offend. |
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TASK 6 |
[Stations 1, 7, & 4E only]-Assist at the altar in helping keep order when needed, in helping people get off the floor. To direct and assist traffic flow to, at & from altar. Aisle ushers can assist in breaking the fall of those being ministered to (men only) & in covering those on the floor (women only). |
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TASK 7 |
Protect the ministering pastor, worship leader and visiting speakers from unnecessary distractions; attend to their needs. Escort or assist ladies up and down the platform steps. Keep the platform clear of unauthorized persons. Stay alert to the pulpit and be ready to respond to their requests or needs. Deacons will handle all requests from congregation concerning the temperature of the building. Deacons will handle communion and offering. May serve as shift leader in this position. |
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TASK 8 |
Greet people appropriately, smile. You are the first impression people will have of IMMANUEL'S church and the level of spirituality within our body. Rotating patrol of parking area and outside building as you assist people in parking. Provide a systematic method of filling up parking lot. Use cones and flashlights to direct traffic flow. Communications will be by headsets. Dress attire is with a safety jacket and ID badge on your suite coat. Please wear dress shirt, a tie and dress shoes. Provide proper assistance and / or escort for the handicap. Secure available handicapped parking areas. Direct drop off traffic back around the sanctuary but not back onto New Hampshire Ave. Work out identification method for traffic flow to fill up, return, and exit parking lots. Leave parking lot after first thirty minutes of service have passed and join us in the sanctuary. Report any issues to security. |
I. Usher's Check List
Grooming:
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Attitude:
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Assignment:
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II. Some Basic Qualities of An Usher - Exhibits the Fruits of the Spirit Within
Love - being the personification and outward express of God's love to everyone with whom they come into contact, exhibiting an out-going spirit of consideration and respect that is not dependent on the attitudes or behavior of other persons.
Joy - Being a person who radiates joy can be a heartwarming experience for any worshiper. A cold, aloof, mechanical spirit of ushering can be depressing to those who come into our presence.
Peace - The presence of a good Spirit-filled usher will add to the peace and calm of every situation. This type of presence will tend to minimize problems. An efficient way of dealing with situations will be reassuring.
Patience - A great quality of a good usher. The facilities, stubborn ungracious people and unusual situations present ample opportunity to upset. An usher must be longsuffering personally but take appropriate action functionally (avoid taking personal offense).
Kindness - This spirit makes the usher approachable. Calmness gives confidence to others.
Goodness - The usher should seek the good in people they interact with and the good in even the worst situation. Personally they should exhibit goodness since that is a basic quality of the Spirit-filled person.
Faithfulness - Faithfully fulfilling assigned responsibilities and being a good team member is essential to being a good usher. Being where and when they are supposed to be inspires others.
Gentleness - Good ushers do not abuse their authority when directing or controlling people or situations. This calls for forgetting about self and humbly concentrating on the needs of others.
Self-control - If the usher cannot control him/herself, it will be impossible to control others.
(NOTE: No chief usher or the pastor(s) can write enough rules to cover every situation which ushers face. Through personal prayerful preparation, focused attention and wisdom, and a general sense of the fitness of things, ushers will be called on to make unending little decisions which either create a church problem or solve one).
The Church - As people are greeted by or interact with an usher, the usher is "the church". People tend to form their impressions of what the church is by their interaction with an usher.
A Servant - One who anticipates needs, walks the second mile, is always close by and is attentive to others.
Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can.
To all the people you can.
As long as you can
- John Wesley
(When an usher can no longer be and do this they should step down)
A Watchman or Handmaiden - The unpardonable (well almost) sin of an usher is not paying attention!! A good usher will watch over the service like a mother hen over her chicks, anticipating problems, looking for disturbances and quieting them in the quickest, most loving way possible.
A Greeter - As one would strive to make a guest in the home feel welcome and comfortable an usher strives to accomplish the same for those in the church, especially visitors
A "John the Baptist" - By helping people to see Jesus through:
- Preparing self
- Geographical praying (for the station area of assignment)
- Removing distractions
- Seating people at appropriate times and places
- Seating people in an appropriate and loving way
A Model - Since the usher is very visible it is important for the usher to model warmth, love, attentiveness, and giving. People do what people see.
A People Person - genuinely loving and caring about those whom the Lord brings into our presence.
IV. Some Ushering Tips
Some examples:
Negative: "You cannot go in now!"
Positive: "We will seat you in just a moment."
Negative: "You're late most seats are taken; you'll have to sit in the back"
Positive: "Since the service has started. we have a place for you near the back."
Negative: "You can't stand here in everybody's way!"
Positive: "Would you like to visit over here where people will not interfere with your
conversation?"
Negative: "You teenagers shut up. You' re disturbing people'
Positive: "Will you young people help us promote reverence in the sanctuary?"
Positive: "I notice you are wearing a hearing aid, would it be helpful to seat you in a
particular location?"