Worship Participation Guidelines
1. A worship rota is posted to this site and mailed to those participating who are not online. It is also available in paper form from the office, and is displayed in the corridor. Please make sure this information is integrated with your normal family planning documents (We recommend sticking it to the front of the refrigerator!).
2. The preacher and worship leader shall ensure that the sermon title, readings and the theme of the sermon is understood and that it forms the theme of the teaching, worship and lord’s supper inasmuch as possible. The key to smooth and meaningful worship and teaching is to take the lead from the topic of the preacher.
3. The worship leader will remind each participant of their upcoming assignment early during the week you are scheduled.
4. If you are ill or are not able to fulfil your assignment, please call your worship leader (see rota to see who it is) to advise them of the need for change.
5. The worship leader is your first point of contact for questions or changes in scheduling. Any questions or comments should be handled with the worship leader first and then the Elders or Worship Rota Team Leader if further attention is necessary.
6. If you wish to no longer be scheduled for a certain role, or to be scheduled for additional roles, speak to the Worship Rota Team Leader.
7. Dress appropriately when scheduled to participate in worship. While there certainly is no "dress code," your style of dress should convey respect for the seriousness of worship.
8. The hall should normally be set out in curved rows with gaps 1/3 and 2/3 of the way along the curve
Sides
1. The Lord’s Supper and collection should be given out in the following way. From the back to the front.
2. We need to ensure that we keep an eye on the other server, to ensure that everyone gets the opportunity to be offered the Lords Supper.
3. Every person present should be offered the Lords Supper. No exceptions. It is the Churches policy that it is an individual’s decision whether to partake or not. The Server does not have the right to make that decision for them by not handing the trays to them in the first place.
4. The Lord’s Supper must be handed from one end of a row to the other, including young children so that they get used to passing without partaking.
5. Servers should ensure that those in the crèche and any other room are offered the bread and wine.
6. When passing, encourage those in the rows to pass to the nearest available next person. The Server should not have to walk a marathon in order to serve so few people. The Server should be able to stay within a small area of the hall, especially so if the rows are laid out in continuous curves and there are not excessive number of chairs, hence, large spaces.
7. Try not to hand the trays to people over their shoulder. Approach so that the tray can be seen in advance.
Worship Leader
1. It is the worship leader's responsibility to see that people assigned to offer the opening and closing prayers, the prayer for the bread, wine, and offering, to preside over the Lord’s Supper and to serve it out, read scripture, and make the announcements are notified and in place for the service.
2. Early in the week before the Sunday service, contact the people assigned to serve in these roles.
3. The worship leader does not need to take any active part in the service, but is primarily there to facilitate the smooth running of the worship time.
4. However the worship leader must be ready to stand in on any of the duties within the worship, as required, at little warning.
5. Send the order of service to be printed (Joseph) and the list of songs to the songleader (see the rota to see who it is) by Wednesday 7pm.
6. Ensure the provision of sufficient bread and wine for the following service. Otherwise contact the Worship Rota Team Leader.
7. Ensure that the hall is set out and that the correct songbooks and sheets are available. Ensure that any photocopies of music are marked “CCL 202302”
8. The Sunday school classes should finish at around 10.50 and the service should begin at around 11.00, finishing between 12.00 and 12.30.
9. The worship leader may select what verses are sung and lead the congregation clearly in this (as can the songleader).
10. May choose not to sing a song or to replace or include a song according to time or spiritual factors (as can the songleader).
11. Keep careful note in case anyone appears to have missed the trays, particularly due to going to the toilet or other reasons, and make special care to invite them after the service to share the bread and wine.
12. Be prepared to take the Lord’s Supper to those in the congregation who were absent from the worship service, on that same day. This will normally be done by the rota group leader (Andrew) or another (presently Joseph) following a call from the person or their family asking for this service.
Scripture Reader
Purpose of the Scripture Reading: To focus the congregation's attention on the Word in preparation for the message.
1. The worship leader and preacher should both notify you of the specific scripture the week before you are assigned to read. You should practice your reading before Sunday.
2. Be careful about practicing your reading from one version and reading on Sunday from another. There can be significant differences and Sunday morning is not the time to find that out!
3. If you feel led you can preamble the reading by setting the scene (saying what the context of the text is if it isn’t obvious). You can also say a word at the end, either of thanks or of looking forward to what the speaker will say.
4. Move to the front during the singing. After the song, step up to the lectern to begin your reading once people have settled.
Announcements
Purpose of the Announcements: To notify the congregation of and inspire them to take interest in the church's activities and concerns.
1. All announcements should be done with enthusiasm and sharpness.
2. Don't rely upon your memory. If you are adding an announcement at the last minute, which often happens, write it down or have the person requesting the announcement write it down for you. The more specific the information the better.
3. Include celebration of birthdays within the announcements
4. Be organized and to the point. Avoid rambling.
Songleader
1. Ensure that you have the list of songs available on or before Friday morning.
2. Prepare one or two songs to sing with one or two other people as a focussed background as people settle in their seats. Either this or play spiritual music from CDs.
3. At 11.00 or as soon as appropriate afterwards, begin the first song without introduction. This may be a Youth-led song.
4. If there is a second song before the next item on the order of worship, welcome everyone briefly and encourage them to stand and sing the next song.
5. Begin each song in turn. Some worship leaders will introduce each in turn, others will expect you to just launch into them at the appropriate moment. Either way, encourage through example the congregation to worship God and express their faith in song.
6. Be wary of the fact that the congregation has a disproportionate number of ladies who should be altos, but whom sing soprano. The effect is that the congregation as a whole prefers not to sing above top E in the treble scale.
7. You may select what verses are sung and lead the congregation clearly in this.
8. You may choose not to sing a song or to replace or include a song according to time or spiritual factors
Preacher
1. Inform the worship leader and reader of the chosen scriptures.
2. Inform the worship leader if there are any specific songs you would like included in the worship.
3. Share with the worship leader and the Lord’s Supper presider the theme and direction of the sermon and to co-ordinate with them during the week proceeding the service.
4. Co-ordinate with the reader if a specific Bible version is required to be used.
5. The length of sermon is averagely in the region of 20 minutes, which is between 1600 and 2100 words, depending how much ad-lib speech you usually include.