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Worship Service Guide

If you are planning lead a service or are contemplating leading one, the following guidelines will provide the background you need.  These guidelines along with templates for the Order of Service can be downloaded below.

DOWNLOAD ORDER OF SERVICE AND OTHER RESOURCES HERE
Guidelines in Word
Guidelines in PDF
Order of Service Template (Word)
Annotated Order of Service (Word)
Singable Hymns and Songs in Word
Singable Hymns and Songs in PDF

BSUUF Worship Service Committee
(To send an e-mail to a member of the committee, click on their name.)

Pad McCracken, Chair
Lynda Saul
Joyce Kronholm
Cynthia Overturf
Winston Swift
Nick Hopkins

Introduction

As a lay-led ministry, we rely on members, friends and others to volunteer to lead a spiritual worship service every Sunday from September through May. These guidelines are intended to assist you in preparing and leading a meaningful worship service.

This guide describes components of the BSUUF worship service that members and friends have grown to expect and love.  Be sure to download the templates for the worship program (including one that is annotated with extra tips on what to do during the service). The Worship Committee welcomes feedback about your lay leadership experience and this worship service guide.

Pre-Sunday Preparation

1) Theme - spend time identifying and focusing on the theme of your service. As soon as you have a title and short description of your service/sermon, notify the Worship Committee so they can notify the newsletter/website editor and the Board.

2) Assistance - determine if you would like assistance planning and presenting the Sunday Service. Some people prefer to have a co-leader, where one person delivers the sermon and the other person leads everything else. If this appeals to you, contact someone from the fellowship or one of the above Worship Committee members to help you.

The Welcoming Committee is responsible for name tags, sign-in sheets, literature and greeting duties. They also organize the potluck for the first Sunday of each month. They schedule greeters to welcome people to church, handing out name tags, and signing in visitors. This is not something you need to do.

3) Gather Materials - with a general plan in mind, locate readings, meditations, music, a sermon, and other elements that you feel will enrich your theme. Here are some resources to assist you: BSUUF lending library – located in a small office at the top of the back stairs. It includes tapes of sermons, UUA books, journals, inspirational readings.

• BSUUF website: http://www.bigskyuu.org -- has an archive of past services from 2006 and sermons written or given by our lay leaders, and links to other resources.
• UUA website -- http://www.uua.org/ -- has a host of material intended for lay leaders:
• http://www.uua.org/worshipweb/ (a resource library, amazing search function for sermons, etc.)
• Discuss ideas w/ members of worship committee or other BSUUF members.
  

• BSUUF is a member of the Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF) which has numerous materials useful to lay leaders. If you're interested in accessing this password-protected site, send an email to Pad McCracken with your request.

4) Music for the Service - Contact Winston Swift to see if he's available to play music or arrange for other music for your Service. You can ask him to play the melody of hymns over the phone to see if they fit your Service.

5) Story for all Ages - Include a children's reading or youth component to your service – called a Story for All Ages in the order of Service.

6) Chalice Table: Plan for any special objects you may want to bring for the chalice table as part of your Sunday worship service. (Flowers, candles, pictures, etc.)

7) Practice - speaking slowly. Read through the entire Service and Sermon at a slow and measured pace. The sermon itself should last about 20 minutes. Plan on a 55 minute service beginning at 11:35 (after intros).

8) Order of Service - Please print out about 30 copies of the order of service – template is available for download.  If you would like to be reimbursed for the cost of making copies, save your receipt and submit to our Treasurer.

9) Sunday Morning Preparation:

• Plan to arrive at the church at 11:00 a.m. along with your co-leader. The greeter will be there to  put out the nametag board, sandwich board on the sidewalk and prepare to greet people at the door.
  
• Accustom yourself to the facility and sound system. Get out the wireless microphone and turn on receiver.
  
• Find worship materials on the bookshelf in hallway and in BSUUF office at end of hall.
• Put hymnals on pews along with orders of service; have a few more orders of service at the door for the greeter.
  
• Display BSUUF banner on podium.
  
• Move flag out of view, if you wish. There's another flag stand behind the podium to make it easy to move.
  
• Get out chimes for moment of silence.
• Set up chalice table w/ cloth, collection plate, chalice w/ candle and matches, flowers or sermon-related item if you wish.

• A board member or other member will welcome the fellowship and introduce you. They will read the opening statement about Helena UUs.  This person could also remind people to silence their cell phones.
  
• If you have someone else reading the Story for all Ages, a chair should be set up for them in front of the pews and you can introduce them at this time.
  
• It's important to honor the time – service begins at 11:35 a.m. and ends at 12:30 p.m.
  
• If the people need more time to reflect on the sermon, encourage the continued discussion during the Coffee Hour or Potluck after the service.
• During announcements be sure to mention upcoming activities, next Sunday's service, and encourage people to go downstairs at the close of the service for Coffee or Potluck.

• We gather hands and form a circle and sing the last hymn.
• At end of service, put away worship items. You will get help with this as people usually stay to help out. Winston usually locks up and ensures that the church is left in the right order, but others may take turns doing that. There's a checklist for opening and closing the church

©2005-2008 Big Sky Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

BSUUF, PO Box 816, Helena, Montana 59624