On this Sunday morning, like many, Rob is stationed at the outside church door with an extended hand and a joke ready to welcome all. The brown carpet lines the narthex, doors are open wide and two smiling ushers flank the doors to the nave. They are Paul Hawk and Barb Pezza. Paul holds a robust stack of bulletins, Barb has the Weekly Spirits. I asked how early these Gracious Givers show up to usher and they say 30 minutes before service. There’s not much prep, but you don’t want the congregation to arrive to an empty narthex. And how did this smiling duo get teamed up? They both said it just worked out that way on the quarterly schedule. Bob has been an usher for about 40 years, following in his father’s footsteps. Barb is newer to ushering just about a year and a half but she thought it was a great way to meet people, and to learn their names.
The crowd begins to build a little in the narthex, so I step back just to watch. Along with the bulletins and Weekly Spirits, I noticed that hearty smiles, robust laughs, and an occasional hug are also shared. The energy is high, the spirit feels right, and it’s not even Donut Sunday.
The crowd thins a little as we approach the 11 o’clock hour and I ask the ushering duo, so how are you trained? What are the rules of doing this? Barb replies,oh, there’s not many rules. You just have to do the jobs, Paul chimes in. You have to make sure that you get the doors open and close them when the service begins. You have to take care of offering, and of course bring up the sacraments, and dismiss the pews for communion. You’re supposed to take attendance during communion but Paul admits he doesn’t like doing two things at once. Instead, he uses his gift of height to simply stand at the back of the church and count heads. Oh, and one more important thing, you have to blow out the prayer candles, for safety. Barb says she feels a little bad blowing them out so quickly after they were sometimes just lit, but I like to think she’s giving each prayer a final Amen.
The sending hymn begins to play, the acolytes approach the center aisle, Paul grabs the doors to open them. Oh, one last thing, we also make sure the pews are free of bulletins and other papers once everybody leaves, but that’s it, pretty easy. Paul and Barb take their positions flanking the doors of the nave, once again smiling and now collecting those same bulletins and Weekly Spirits while sharing good wishes for a great week ahead.
What a great example of Gracious Giving and how everyone can do a little. Interested in being an usher at your preferred service? Simply email the church office. There’s not a lot of rules, but the rewards are great.
The Stewardship Team