Notification of Weekly Prayers and Lessons

The Pastor emails the Prayers and lessons for the following weekend’s services on Wednesday. He also notifies the Lay Associates if there is a change in the order of service for any reason (i.e. Baptism, etc.).

Tools

Carry your Bulletin and Prayer Sheet with you at all times during the service.

Microphone

You wear a microphone for the service. To ensure continued service throughout Worship, the Minister of Music replaces the battery each weekend. There are two buttons at the top of the microphone. To be audible, both buttons should be pushed TOWARD the stem. For mute, the gray button should be pushed away from the stem.

Don’t try to mess with muting the microphone. Assume that it’s on all the time and just watch what you say!

The microphones are fragile. They are particularly touchy at the point where the microphone cord meets the "box". When you are done with the microphone, wrap the cord gently around the box, ONLY AFTER extending the cord at that point into about a 6-inch loop.

Services

Arrival at the Service

Arrive at least 20 minutes prior to the service. Bring the previously emailed prayer and lesson sheet with you.

Meet briefly with the Pastor to confirm the order of the service, receive any special instructions and/or additional prayer recipients.

In the event there is no Acolyte at the time the Service is to start, please attempt to either recruit a replacement or light the altar candles (and the Christ candle for special services and/or designated church seasons) and recruit an additional communion assistant.

The tools are the Liturgy Booklet, Bulletin and a Prayer Sheet. The Liturgy booklet  identifies the intervals in the Service where the Lay Associate has a role. They are, in sequence, as follows:

        Prayer of the Day

        Lesson 1, Psalm (if applicable), Lesson 2

        Prayers of the Church

        Prelude to Offertory Prayer

        Post Communion Prayer

        Dismissal

The Lesson/Prayer Sheet provides the specific prayers for the day. It also specifies the intervals in which the Pastor may insert Prayer into the sequence (Prayers of the Church).

Special Services

The Lay Associate may, from time to time, be asked to participate in special services, i.e. baptisms, etc. Your participation will be communicated on a case-by-case basis.   This may influence the need for additional communion stations, etc.

Readings

The Prayers

Either the Pastor or the Lay Associate announces, "Let us Pray…" prior to a new prayer, as indicated in the Liturgy Booklet.

Lessons

Be familiar with the lessons. In advance of the service, take time to familiarize yourself with the lessons. Read the lessons aloud; clarify any words that may trip you up (see Anathoth). During the service, you may read from your own Bible, or from Calvary’s Bible at the lectern. The NIV Bible is similar to the church’s New RSV.

Note:   If you choose to print and read the document that Pastor has provided, please hold it down to appear that you’re reading from the Bible.

      Style

Read slowly and enunciate words clearly. If you think you are reading slowly, you likely can still slow down.

You are telling a story. Involve listeners by looking up from the book from time to time.

Understanding the context and message of the lesson allows more interpretative phrasing and tone inflection.

Introduction

Introduce each lesson as follows:

"The first lesson is from (the 3^rd Chapter of Genesis)", "the second lesson is from Paul’s letter to…" etc.

The Lessons are accompanied by a descriptive summary for interpretative assistance. It is left to the discretion of the Lay Associate as to whether that is read as preface to the Lesson for the congregation.

Closing

Conclude each lesson with "This is the Word of Life" or "So Ends the Reading".

The Psalm (if applicable)

Read the Psalm from the green book of worship/hymnal. (The hymnal differs from the Bible at the lectern, so if you’re having the congregation read along, be certain to read from the same source.)

Take a moment to repeat the Psalm number and the page on which it may be found. Allowing the congregation a moment to find it. Repeat if necessary.

You may choose to read the entire Psalm by yourself, or have the congregation read along, all together, or some combination. You may choose to have the women read a verse, and the men read another, be certain you assign the verse on the basis of your gender, starting always with yours, i.e., if you are a man, have the men read odd, and the women even. This allows you to initiate commencement of the reading, without confusion.

If you arrange for it ahead of time, the Minister of Music will sing a musical interpretation of the Psalm.

The Gospel

Typically the Pastor reads the Gospel. However, from time to time you may be called upon to do the reading.  The Introduction and Closing differ from the Lessons.

        Introduction: "The Holy Gospel according to (St. Luke, the 6^th Chapter), please stand".     Or, "Please stand for the reading of the Holy Gospel, according to…."

        Closing: "This is the Gospel of our Lord", "Thanks be to God", and "Please be seated".

Communion

Communion Assistants

Prior to the service, the Lay Associate is responsible for recruiting Communion Assistants. (Note: Some Lay Associates will arrange with either another "off duty" Lay Associate or a knowledgeable member friend who is attending the service, to recruit the Communion Assistants.) The number of assistants is contingent upon the typical volume of people attending any given service.

The 8:00 am and 10:30 am Sunday services require 6 Communion Assistants. The Pastor varies the location from which he serves communion thus allowing congregants who always sit in the same location or routinely go to the Altar, to sometimes receive communion from him.

Each side of the Baptismal Font: The Pastor (or the Lay Associate) distributes the wafer* from one side of the Baptismal Font, a Communion Assistant with a tray of wafers on the other side (please be sure they’ve been instructed). They are each to be partnered with 2 additional Communion Assistants, who hold chalices of wine and grape juice for intinction.

At the Altar: The Lay Associate (or the Pastor), one Communion Assistant and the Acolyte. The Lay Associate (or the Pastor) distributes the wafer. The Communion Assistant follows behind with the tray of cups, offering wine or grape juice. The Acolyte collects the discarded cups.

Please instruct the Communion Assistant who is holding the grape juice to stand directly in front of the corner of the altar stairs in order to block it from being a tripping hazard.

We encourage inviting Confirmed Youth to participate in the distribution of Holy Communion.  They should be appropriately dressed and instructed.

Please be sure those assisting are members or regular visitors of Calvary. If you do not know, ask. If your volunteers if they have never served as a Communion Assistant, instruct them in what to say. They may have served wine previously, but have never distributed the wafer, be sure to give them instruction. (See following.)

Distribution

The wafer distribution is accompanied by the saying:

"The body of Christ, given for you",

the wine or grape juice is accompanied by

"The blood of Christ shed for you".

When you are serving the wafer either at the Baptismal Font or the altar railing and children come who do not commune, ALWAYS offer a blessing to them:

 "May Jesus bless and keep you" or similar words.

When a parishioner comes forward with their own wafer simple bless it as if you had distributed the wafer.

Be sure to instruct any communion assistant who is serving wafers to do the same.

The members of the congregation have become accustomed to the wafer and intinction ritual.  However, they may still forget to wait for the wine to intinct. In this event, rather than drinking from the chalice, encourage them to take another wafer and intinct.

When receiving Communion at the Altar, empty cups are placed in the empty tray on the Altar, not back into the tray with cups full for distribution.

Most people receiving Communion at the Altar remain for a moment of prayer, however, be sensitive to the potential of individual(s) who desire a moment of prayer prior to receiving the Eucharist. As you approach, wait till they extend their hands for the wafer.

The Ushers identify anyone in the congregation who is not able to come forward for Communion. The Pastor may signal for either you or a Communion Assistant to accompany them to serve those individuals at their seat(s).

From time to time there may still be people kneeling at the Altar after all others have received Communion. DO NOT allow the Communion Assistants to return to the Altar with their chalices until everyone has returned to their seats.

Do not be afraid to smile as you assist with Communion. It helps those who come forward to see a happy face. It’s been said that Lutheran’s have too much "solemn joy".

Regardless of the circumstances, always provide the option of EITHER wine or grape juice.

Worship Service Logistics

Pausing to acknowledge the cross and be seated in the Lay Associate’s chair on the Altar.

During the opening hymn (last verse) the Pastor signals you to join her/him at the altar.

You remain at the Altar through the Kyrie, the Hymn of Praise (if applicable), and the Salutation then you read the Prayer of the Day.

Proceed to the lectern and read the Lessons and the Psalm (if applicable). Return to your seat after the 2nd lesson.

Remain seated until the last verse of the Hymn of the Day when you’ll join the Pastor at the Altar. Remain through the reciting of the Apostles’ Creed, then read the Prayers of the Church.

Step down to the congregation for the Sharing of the Peace after which you return to the altar with the Pastor.

After singing the Offertory, read the prelude to the Offertory Prayer.

After the Post Communion Canticle, read the Post Communion Prayer.

After the Benediction, return to your seat.

During the Sending Hymn, the Pastor exists down the center aisle. After pausing to acknowledge the cross, follow him down the aisle.

Upon conclusion of the Sending hymn, read the Dismissal, which is often "Go in peace, serve the Lord"…

The Offering

The offering plates and blue zippered bags are stored in the narthex cabinets. At the conclusion of the service, please bring a bag to the Altar and place all of the offering in it, being sure to check all plates. The bag should then be locked and given to the Pastor. The offering plates are to be returned to the narthex cabinets.