Groups and Committees (7)
Task Descriptions for House Groups
If for any reason you are unable to meet your commitment, please find a replacement.
Please wear your nametag.
There is one First Aid Kit in the kitchen, in the first drawer on the left, and another in the office on top of the metal cupboard near the west wall, should it be needed.
Phone calls can be made from the office phone or the phone in the kitchen.
Duties for Worship Hosts
Please arrive at 10 a.m. in the fall/winter and 9:30 a.m. in June and July. Your duties include:
- Put out – and remember to bring in – the reserved parking signs kept in the coatroom at the sanctuary entrance. Please allow an extra 1-2 car lengths in front of the Handicapped parking area in front of the west doors on Sunset Drive.
- Turn on the sanctuary lights and fans if necessary.
- Put out on the entry table by the House Group bulletin board the individual hearing assistance devices. These are kept in a basket in the office cupboard above the file cabinets. Please put them away at the end of the service.
- Welcome all arriving for the church service.
- Be sure people are located at the main doors and also the doors near the office.
- Three people should stand at the main door.
- One person should stand at the office entrance to hand out hymn books and bulletins there.
- Invite newcomers, guests, and visitors to sign the guest book and/or fill out a hymnal card.
- Distribute hymnbooks and bulletins as people enter the sanctuary.
- Provide information when required.
- As part of our welcoming atmosphere, please keep the foyer doors open during the service.
- Be sure people are located at the main doors and also the doors near the office.
- Encourage people to fill the seats in front of the pillars before adding more chairs.
- Assist in setting up more chairs if needed. Extra chairs are in Faith Hall, the room immediately to the east of the Centrum.
- Receive the collection, asking people from the congregation to help if necessary. Collection plates should be on the hymnbook shelves, but may be in the office. Counters will take the plates after the offering prayer.
- Confirm that someone is counting the congregation who attended service. The count is written on the Task Roster on the House Group bulletin board in the foyer. These numbers are needed for statistics for the United Church of Canada.
- Collect/put away hymnbooks at end of service.
- Turn off lights/fans, check to see windows are closed.
- Bring in reserved parking signs from outside.
- Check with the ministers that the doors are locked.
Thank you for helping to make worship a richer experience for all. Your help is very much appreciated!
May 2013
Task Descriptions for House Groups
If for any reason you are unable to meet your commitment, please find a replacement. Please wear your name tag.
Taking Part in the Service
- Lighting the Peace and Christ candles (a child, children, adult(s), family)
- Reading the opening prayers which are printed in the bulletin. You will:
- read “Call to Worship”,
- read “Prayer of Approach”,
- introduce the Hymn,
- read “Prayer for Wholeness”, and
- read “Words of Assurance”
- read “Call to Worship”,
The new bulletin will be on the website on Friday. If you don’t have access to the internet, call the office during office hours, which are 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. You can stop by to pick up a Bulletin early, once they are printed.
Thank you for helping to make worship a richer experience for all.
May 2013
Task Descriptions for House Groups
If for any reason you are unable to meet your commitment, please find a replacement.
Counting the Congregation
Once the service has started, please count the number present in the congregation, including the choir and children. When the church is full it may be easier to count empty seats and subtract from the number of chairs. Please record the attendance on the roster on the House Group bulletin board in the foyer. There should be a note with a current chair count on that bulletin board. These numbers are needed for statistics for the United Church of Canada.
Taking Garbage Out
After church and coffee are over, roll the garbage can out to the west curb. The garbage can is located outside the church beside the west entrance to the furnace room hallway. Parking instructions are on the lid of the can. There are arrows with “Face Arrows Toward Street”. The can should be on the street, and the wheels should be against the curb, so that the lid opens from the street side.
Thank you for helping to make worship a richer experience for all.
Your help is very much appreciated!
September 2011
Task Descriptions for House Groups
If for any reason you are unable to meet your commitment, please find a replacement. Please wear your nametag.There is a First Aid Kit in the kitchen, in the first drawer on the left as you enter.
Coffee Making/Clean Up
- Prior to church worship services beginning, please make an urn of coffee. The directions for making coffee are printed on the side of the fridge and are listed below.
- 30-cup urn of coffee
- Use 1 ½ styrofoam cups of coffee per 30 cup urn. Coffee is stored in the moveable counter.
- The coffee pot can be plugged in on the counter in the narthex where coffee is served.
- It takes about 30 minutes to perk. - 100-cup urn of coffee
- For some Sundays when more coffee will be needed, use the 100 cup urn. Your House Group leader will let you know when this is necessary.
- Use 1 styrofoam cup of coffee for each 20 cups of water.
- The coffee pot can be plugged in on the counter in the narthex where coffee is served.
- 30-cup urn of coffee
- Creamer, sugar, artificial sweetener and stir sticks are in the cupboard above the movable counter – cream pitchers/sugar bowls are in the cupboard above the glasses, which are above the microwave. You may find fresh cream in the fridge that can be used.
- Please mix 3 jugs of juice (found in cupboard with sugar). Use 4 scoops of Tang per jug. Also fill 1 - 2 jugs with water.
- Please make 1 pot or thermos of tea. The teapot is in the cupboard above the stove. Teabags are in the cupboard with the sugar, etc.
- If you wish, one of the portable counters under this main counter can be used for the juice. Smaller trolleys, kept in the furnace room by the stairs to the basement, are great for transporting coffee pots, cups, glasses, juice etc. to the coffee area. These with the tubs work well as places to put dirty dishes.
- The members of the congregation will generally serve themselves, but it may be wise to pour some glasses of juice for the children.
- Leftover juice may be amalgamated into one jug and placed in the fridge in Bright Hall for use by others during the next week. Likewise for any unused fresh creamer. Dispose of unused coffee.
- We have a great dishwasher! Simply follow the instructions on the sheet on the wall above it. Turn the dishwasher on after church so that the first load will run more quickly.
- Rinse out coffee pot/teapot, and wash cream pitchers/sugar bowls to avoid attracting ants. (Empty the creamer and sugar back into the containers you used to fill them.)
- Put all clean dishes away.
- Take dirty tea towels and dish cloths home to launder.
Please leave the kitchen in good order for the next group’s use. Typical good housekeeping!
Thank you for helping to make worship a richer experience for all. Your help is greatly appreciated!
May 2013
Just what is a House Group?
A House Group is made up of approximately 20 church families who are called upon to help with various tasks as required, during and after Sunday services.
How many House Groups are there?
Eleven.
Why 11?
There are 11 groups to cover each of the 11 months our church is open for services. Every group will take one turn per year, with a different month to look after for each of the next 11 years! That means no group will always work at Easter or Christmas, which are busier months to organize.
How will I know the house group to which I belong?
No problem. Your name will be added to one of the 11 House Group lists. The House Group Leader will contact you to welcome you, tell you which month your group will be responsible for, explain the tasks, and answer questions.
Just how much work is involved?
We need volunteers for ushering, making coffee/clean-up, lighting candles, reading the opening prayers, counting the congregation and taking out the garbage.
Wow! That’s a lot!
It’s not so bad … you won’t be asked to do them all, just a few as you are able. If every member of the House Group does his/her part it doesn’t have to be an onerous commitment for any one person. And, you will be called on only for the month assigned to your group. Other groups will look after the other months.
And we only have to help for one month in the whole year?
That’s right!
How come we’ve gone this House Group route?
You know the saying “Many hands make light work”? Well, House Groups allow us to share the work that needs doing in our church. No longer should we have the same people doing all the work all of the time. House Groups are a fair and equitable way to carry out the stewardship of our church. By dividing ourselves into House Groups we also get to meet and work with people who are part of our church family. Building community is a major goal of the program. By getting involved we also take ownership of our worship experience and our beautiful church.
What happens in the summer when the church is closed for a month?
Prior to closure for the summer break the co-ordinator of the House Group Program will ask some volunteers to collect the mail, and water indoor plants if necessary.
Could I get off the list?
You are part of a House Group whether you participate or not. It’s important that you are part of our church family. But please remember that the House Group Program works only if each of us is willing to support it in whatever way we can.
Who can I talk to if I need more information?
Just email the office, or call 586 – 3613 and the Office Co-ordinator can put you in touch with someone who can answer your questions.
September 2011
House Group Schedule
|
2014 |
2015 | 2016 | |||||||
|
January |
Group 8 |
January | Group 9 | January | Group 10 | ||||
|
February |
Group 9 |
February | Group 10 | February | Group 11 | ||||
|
March |
Group 10 |
March | Group 11 | March | Group 1 | ||||
|
April |
Group 11 |
April | Group 1 | April | Group 2 | ||||
|
May |
Group 1 |
May | Group 2 | May | Group 3 | ||||
|
June |
Group 2 |
June | Group 3 | June | Group 4 | ||||
|
July |
(Closed) |
July | Group 4 | July | (Closed) | ||||
|
August |
Group 3 |
August | (Closed) | August | Group 5 | ||||
|
September |
Group 4 |
September | Group 5 | September | Group 6 | ||||
|
October |
Group 5 |
October | Group 6 | October | Group 7 | ||||
|
November |
Group 6 |
November | Group 7 | November | Group 8 | ||||
|
December |
Group 7 |
December | Group 8 | December | Group 9 | ||||
|
(You can also view this schedule as a downloadable PDF: House Group Schedule 2014-2017.) If a House Group Leader is going to be away, a month may be switched with another group. House Group Leaders HG 1: Margaret Baker and Lorne Boyle |
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Collecting Offering
(a suggested method)
Start with four people at the front of the church (centre of the circle).
One person takes the main aisle and two offering plates. Start one plate on each side in the first row, continuing with the odd numbered rows.
A second person has two offering plates and takes the far left aisle, and starts one on each side….in every row on the left, starting at the front, and the second row in the main section, doing the even rows.
A third person has two offering plates and takes the far right aisle. They start one plate in the choir, moving it to the first row on the extreme right section, doing every row. The second plate is started in the second row in the main section, doing the even rows.
A fourth person walks up the part aisle in the main section. They don’t need any offering plates, and facilitate the movement of the plates from one row to another, continuing the movement of the plates across the rows.
September 2011