Welcoming all who come on Sunday mornings and hosting social hour are responsibilities we all share. Church members and regularly attending friends are asked to take their turns with this important work of our church community.
SERVICE VOLUNTEER INSTRUCTIONS
Greeter Instructions
If you cannot be a greeter on the day you are scheduled, please try to switch with someone else. If you are unable to find a replacement, please contact the Congregational Administrator in the church office (315-386-2498 or office@uucantonny.org). You will receive an e-mail reminder early in the week of your scheduled Sunday.
Greeters are asked to arrive at church at least 20 minutes before the service begins. You’ll find a sheet of greeter instructions with the orders of service near the name tag board in the sanctuary. At least three greeters are scheduled each week. One greeter should be stationed at the front entrance, a second greeter at the door between the social room and sanctuary, and the third at the back entrance near the elevator. (Greeters are encouraged but not expected to learn how to operate the elevator – others in the congregation can be called upon if the elevator is needed.)
Welcome everyone as they come in. Greeters at the sanctuary doors should offer everyone an order of service. Please be especially aware of newcomers, and invite visitors to sign the guest book near the front or rear doors, make a temporary name tag, and take any literature that interests them. As appropriate, direct newcomers with children to the Nursery or to Religious Education representatives.
The RE committee also asks that greeters offer the Fidget Basket to everyone as they enter the sanctuary. The Fidget Basket contains a variety of brightly colored pipe cleaners to keep busy hands occupied. Members of the RE committee will be responsible for refilling the basket; greeters just need to make the basket available.
Greeters also collect the offering. Only two are needed for the offering, so you can decide among yourselves who will do that. See instructions for collecting the offering below. Once the offering has been received, please assign one or two greeters to take a head count of those present. Write the number in the notebook near the collection plates and place the notebook in the plate.
Host Instructions
You will receive an e-mail reminder from the church office early in the week of your scheduled Sunday. Weekly assignments are also posted in the UU News for UU (weekly e-blast) that is distributed on Thursdays. If you cannot host on the day you are scheduled, first please try to switch with someone else, then contact the Congregational Administrator to let them know.
Social hour hosts are asked to arrive 30 minutes before the service to prepare coffee, tea, and juice. If you can, please bring a carton of milk or half-and-half (if you forget, we have jars of non-dairy creamer). Also welcome are simple snacks to share – crackers, cookies, veggies, fruit. All other supplies are in the kitchen as are instructions for making coffee and tea. You will need to leave the service during the last hymn to plug in the tea kettle and put out juice and snacks.
After social hour, please unplug coffee maker, rinse out pump pots, put dishes in dishwasher, and follow instructions for “Quick Cycle.” You do not have to wait for the cycle to finish.
Offering Instructions
If there are more than two Greeters, decide ahead of time which two will take the offering. The offering plates are on the windowsill at the center back of the Sanctuary.
Each Greeter
- Begin by walking together down the center aisle to the front.
- Hold each plate, rather than passing them down the rows.
- Face people as you collect their gifts. This means you always start with the front pew and work back.
- Walk from front to back, collecting from people in the nearest half of each center pew.
- Go to the front of the next aisles over (the side aisles), and walk back collecting from the people in the other half of the center pews.
- Go to the front of these same aisles again and walk back, collecting from the nearer half of the outside pews.
- Go down the outside aisles to collect from the outer half of the side pews.
- Finally, collect from any people sitting in extra chairs on the side or at the back.
- Leave collection plates on the windowsill at the center back. (Our money counters will pick them up immediately after the service.)