The first rule for ushering is: Smile (Real and funny to me!)

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For the church ushers out there!:)

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070512/FEATURES01/705120369/1025/FEATURES
The first rule for ushering is: Smile

May 12, 2007

Leslie Parrott, author of "Serving as a Church Usher," was moved to write the book after visiting a church service in Oregon and watching ushers who didn't seem to know how to seat an overflow crowd. The book's useful suggestions include these:

• Have clean breath and a smile. Ushers are the first person met at the door and give the first impression of the church.

• Concentrate on the parishioners and make sure that they're in the best seats for their concerns.

• Let the person dictate (pretty much) where they would like to sit.

• Speak to people whether you know them or not.

• Don't tell, show. If you start leading someone down the aisle to a seat and they don't follow, go back and ask them where they'd prefer to sit. Try to accommodate their wishes -- when possible.

The Journal News
 
RelaxerRehab said:
For the church ushers out there!:)

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070512/FEATURES01/705120369/1025/FEATURES
The first rule for ushering is: Smile

May 12, 2007

Leslie Parrott, author of "Serving as a Church Usher," was moved to write the book after visiting a church service in Oregon and watching ushers who didn't seem to know how to seat an overflow crowd. The book's useful suggestions include these:

• Have clean breath and a smile. Ushers are the first person met at the door and give the first impression of the church.

• Concentrate on the parishioners and make sure that they're in the best seats for their concerns.

• Let the person dictate (pretty much) where they would like to sit.

• Speak to people whether you know them or not.

• Don't tell, show. If you start leading someone down the aisle to a seat and they don't follow, go back and ask them where they'd prefer to sit. Try to accommodate their wishes -- when possible.

The Journal News

Okay, I'll admit this is one of my pet peeves. I don't like for ushers to tell me where to sit. I may not want to sit in the middle of a row of 20.:ohwell:
 
Ok, as an usher. I know about this first hand. Sometimes people don't know what the heck they want. Let me hush, I will keep my comments to myself. But ushering is a hard job and we do have rules that we are to follow that are set by our pastor and our President.
 
Awww... my mom is the head usher at her church so that's why this is especially funny (but true) to me.... I was a junior usher for ONE SERVICE and was like, um... that's ok!:lol:

Seriously though... rules and guidelines from the pastoral authority are to be adhered to, but I think the disconnect is in the title of this thread: a smile... the tone....

crlsweetie912, I'm curious to read your comments. I'm thinking it's concerns that are relatively universal and that you're not alone....:)
 
RR:
I just didn't want to jump froggy off the bat and kind of see what other people were saying but here goes.

1. If you come into the sanctuary, it's OUR JOB to Help you find a seat. 9 times out of 10, I could care less where you sit unless it's reserved or a closed area. So it doesn't bother me if you don't want to sit where I suggest.

2. We seat people to be orderly. Wandering around the sanctuary for 15 minutes looking for a seat is a distraction and not very polite.

3. Our services are recorded for sale and for broadcast. So we have directives to seat at the front of the church first, so the back part of the sanctuary is closed until we fill up the front. But we have every Tom Dick and Mary, wanting to sit in the back row. My pastor says time and time again about filling up from the front, but people are always so disobedient!

4. Coming in 15 minutes before service ends and wanting your usual seat up towards the front of the sanctuary?:perplexed :ohwell:

5. Trying to enter/exit the sanctuary during prayer/scripture readings. This burns me to no end. And getting angry when an usher won't let you into the sanctuary. Just disrespectful.

Being an usher is an EXTREMELY difficult and challenging postion. It's not an easy thing to do to stand on your feet for most of the service, count the attendees, check to see if visitors are seen to their seats, monitor for crying babies, carry 50-11 people who are "in the spirit" EVERY service to their seats, etc. I LOVE BEING AN USHER. I know that this is what I am supposed to be doing in my church. Please realize that we are people too! And we have an important job to do!:D :D :D :D
 
crlsweetie912 said:
RR:
I just didn't want to jump froggy off the bat and kind of see what other people were saying but here goes.

1. If you come into the sanctuary, it's OUR JOB to Help you find a seat. 9 times out of 10, I could care less where you sit unless it's reserved or a closed area. So it doesn't bother me if you don't want to sit where I suggest.

2. We seat people to be orderly. Wandering around the sanctuary for 15 minutes looking for a seat is a distraction and not very polite.

3. Our services are recorded for sale and for broadcast. So we have directives to seat at the front of the church first, so the back part of the sanctuary is closed until we fill up the front. But we have every Tom Dick and Mary, wanting to sit in the back row. My pastor says time and time again about filling up from the front, but people are always so disobedient!

4. Coming in 15 minutes before service ends and wanting your usual seat up towards the front of the sanctuary?:perplexed :ohwell:

5. Trying to enter/exit the sanctuary during prayer/scripture readings. This burns me to no end. And getting angry when an usher won't let you into the sanctuary. Just disrespectful.

Being an usher is an EXTREMELY difficult and challenging postion. It's not an easy thing to do to stand on your feet for most of the service, count the attendees, check to see if visitors are seen to their seats, monitor for crying babies, carry 50-11 people who are "in the spirit" EVERY service to their seats, etc. I LOVE BEING AN USHER. I know that this is what I am supposed to be doing in my church. Please realize that we are people too! And we have an important job to do!:D :D :D :D

Don't you feel better now that you've gotten all that off your chest?;)
 
crlsweetie912 said:
RR:
I just didn't want to jump froggy off the bat and kind of see what other people were saying but here goes.

1. If you come into the sanctuary, it's OUR JOB to Help you find a seat. 9 times out of 10, I could care less where you sit unless it's reserved or a closed area. So it doesn't bother me if you don't want to sit where I suggest.

2. We seat people to be orderly. Wandering around the sanctuary for 15 minutes looking for a seat is a distraction and not very polite.

3. Our services are recorded for sale and for broadcast. So we have directives to seat at the front of the church first, so the back part of the sanctuary is closed until we fill up the front. But we have every Tom Dick and Mary, wanting to sit in the back row. My pastor says time and time again about filling up from the front, but people are always so disobedient!

4. Coming in 15 minutes before service ends and wanting your usual seat up towards the front of the sanctuary?:perplexed :ohwell:

5. Trying to enter/exit the sanctuary during prayer/scripture readings. This burns me to no end. And getting angry when an usher won't let you into the sanctuary. Just disrespectful.

Being an usher is an EXTREMELY difficult and challenging postion. It's not an easy thing to do to stand on your feet for most of the service, count the attendees, check to see if visitors are seen to their seats, monitor for crying babies, carry 50-11 people who are "in the spirit" EVERY service to their seats, etc. I LOVE BEING AN USHER. I know that this is what I am supposed to be doing in my church. Please realize that we are people too! And we have an important job to do!:D :D :D :D

Like klb120475, I hope you feel better now, crlsweetie912! :lol: (((HUG))) You alright! Basically all of what you shared happens in some form or fashion at every church and you're right: ushering AIN'T NO JOKE! It takes MUCH GRACE and PATIENCE....

And before I begin, let me say that I know that every church has it's own "culture", way of doing things, if you will, so my responses are based on that....

Agree with what you said re. the role and purpose of the usher. And I understand about the need for order, esp. for audio/video recording purposes (our church does, too) And plus it's distracting for the service as well when people are walking aimlessly. I mean, where are you going?:lol:

That's funny about coming into church late and still wanting the (usual) seat for service. My pastor has put enough folk ON BLAST for that so that has basically stopped occurring.... What's that scripture? Rebuke them openly so others may fear? Whooooo!

Again, totally with you about the walking during prayer and scripture readings. Those are sacred moments (the whole service is supposed to be sacred but you follow my point)....

Here's what I'm getting: One thing we have to realize is that (some of) today's church visitors/members are not "churched", if you will. They may have not had exposure to church-going and simply may not be aware of the sacredness of the service and what things are acceptable or not. So patience is definitely needed.

Do the ushers pray together before the service starts?

Do you all have any type of training or rehearsal or regular meeting schedule to discuss issues and concerns that you can share with the pastor so the pastor can tell, admonish, chastise, and correct the flock about disrespecting the ushers?

Oh! About having to carry the people who are "supposedly in the spirit" back to their seat? That's funny to me because at my church, esp. the "regulars", have gotten left on the floor a time or two until they figure it out.... or you catch them before they get all the way wound up.... you just start guiding them to their seat while rubbing their back saying "Amen; Hallelujah...yes, yes, yes, Lord" :lol: ... and when they try to run, you just grab 'em real quick! :lol: I'm not talking about a person who is "for real" with theirs, but sometimes you can just look like "you know what, you need to go sit down!"
 
RelaxerRehab said:
Oh! About having to carry the people who are "supposedly in the spirit" back to their seat? That's funny to me because at my church, esp. the "regulars", have gotten left on the floor a time or two until they figure it out.... or you catch them before they get all the way wound up.... you just start guiding them to their seat while rubbing their back saying "Amen; Hallelujah...yes, yes, yes, Lord" :lol: ... and when they try to run, you just grab 'em real quick! :lol: I'm not talking about a person who is "for real" with theirs, but sometimes you can just look like "you know what, you need to go sit down!"


:lachen: :lachen: :lachen: :lachen: :lachen: :lachen:
 
RelaxerRehab said:
Like klb120475, I hope you feel better now, crlsweetie912! :lol: (((HUG))) You alright! Basically all of what you shared happens in some form or fashion at every church and you're right: ushering AIN'T NO JOKE! It takes MUCH GRACE and PATIENCE....

And before I begin, let me say that I know that every church has it's own "culture", way of doing things, if you will, so my responses are based on that....

Agree with what you said re. the role and purpose of the usher. And I understand about the need for order, esp. for audio/video recording purposes (our church does, too) And plus it's distracting for the service as well when people are walking aimlessly. I mean, where are you going?:lol:

That's funny about coming into church late and still wanting the (usual) seat for service. My pastor has put enough folk ON BLAST for that so that has basically stopped occurring.... What's that scripture? Rebuke them openly so others may fear? Whooooo!

Again, totally with you about the walking during prayer and scripture readings. Those are sacred moments (the whole service is supposed to be sacred but you follow my point)....

Here's what I'm getting: One thing we have to realize is that (some of) today's church visitors/members are not "churched", if you will. They may have not had exposure to church-going and simply may not be aware of the sacredness of the service and what things are acceptable or not. So patience is definitely needed.

Do the ushers pray together before the service starts?

Do you all have any type of training or rehearsal or regular meeting schedule to discuss issues and concerns that you can share with the pastor so the pastor can tell, admonish, chastise, and correct the flock about disrespecting the ushers?

Oh! About having to carry the people who are "supposedly in the spirit" back to their seat? That's funny to me because at my church, esp. the "regulars", have gotten left on the floor a time or two until they figure it out.... or you catch them before they get all the way wound up.... you just start guiding them to their seat while rubbing their back saying "Amen; Hallelujah...yes, yes, yes, Lord" :lol: ... and when they try to run, you just grab 'em real quick! :lol: I'm not talking about a person who is "for real" with theirs, but sometimes you can just look like "you know what, you need to go sit down!"

Most of the people who have the episodes like they "Deserve" to be seated in a certain place or want to walk at inappropriate times are not the new people to the church. These are people who have been at the church longer than I have.:perplexed

Most of us pray everytime we enter the sanctuary at the beginning of the day and we always pray right before going out on the floor! Shoot, I wouldn't have made it this far without prayer!

PC Answer to number 3: Our leadership at this point isn't "progressive" enough to do this. They feel that approaching the Pastor in this way would be disrespectful. He does do this on his own from time to time, but...:ohwell:

Last answer: About working the altar, I have gained some of my biggest breakthroughs just being in the prescence of people who are getting theirs. It's not that I don't like this aspect of the work, just some people don't realize how hard it can be. One time a couple of weeks ago, this women fell out(she was a large woman!)..FINE! One of the men decided that they were going to try to help us get her up, he proceeded to pick her up and kind of "throw" her back on the pew in the front row, but I was behind her and got smushed!:lachen: :lachen:

All this said to say, we are just trying to do our jobs, not be mean to anyone or act high and mighty. I LOVE TO USHER and I LOVE THE LORD WITH ALL MY HEART! :D :D I couldn't see myself doing much else..
 
crlsweetie912 said:
All this said to say, we are just trying to do our jobs, not be mean to anyone or act high and mighty. I LOVE TO USHER and I LOVE THE LORD WITH ALL MY HEART! :D :D I couldn't see myself doing much else..

I think it's wonderful that you have a beautiful spirit about your ministry as an usher.
 
klb120475 said:
I think it's wonderful that you have a beautiful spirit about your ministry as an usher.
Thanks klb!
I never even wanted to be an usher, but one day, not even a month after I joined my church, God led me to inquire about how I could join the auxiliary. It's a blessing to do what you were meant to do!:D
 
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