Can I be involved in the church service? Yes!
We are called to grow in our faith. One of the ways we do this is through our calling and commitment to various ministries in our church. Taking an active role in the church service is one of the ways people learn more about their faith.
Lay people, meaning parishioners who are not ordained, may receive authorization either from the priest or the bishop to perform certain aspects of the church service.
At Immanuel, these positions include:
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- Licensed Lay Readers. Licensed Lay Readers are trained and licensed by the bishop and may perform any of the following duties:
– Leading Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer and the Holy Eucharist service in the absence of the priest, using reserved wine and bread that has already been consecrated by a priest.
– Reading the Gospel
– Preaching sermons
– Distributing Holy Communion (either the bread or the wine)
– Teaching
– Assisting with pastoral care
– Conducting funerals.
- Licensed Lay Readers. Licensed Lay Readers are trained and licensed by the bishop and may perform any of the following duties:
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- Chalice Administrants. Chalice Administrants assist with the distribution of the Holy Communion by administering the wine from the chalice.
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- Greeters. Greeters meet and greet people as they arrive for the church service. They hand out the bulletin for the church service and provide guidance to newcomers. The greeters also collect the monetary offerings, which are taken to the altar where a prayer is said to give thanks for both the monetary gifts and the bread and wine.
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- Readers. Parishioners also participate in reading assigned scriptures.
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- Intercessors. Parishioners may also feel called to lead the Prayers of the People and are trained to carry out this ministry. Each Sunday we pray for the world, the church, those who are sick or suffering as well as those that have died and those who mourn.
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- Counters. Parishioners also volunteer to count the monetary offerings each Sunday.
Every two months a roster is prepared organizing the parishioners and their agreed upon role(s) for the upcoming church services.