CCA

CCA

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Team Leader USHER MANUAL // Alachua Campus




Overview:
1.    Set up children’s area
2.    Set auditorium
3.    Set up offering area
4.    Quick Usher meeting before Huddle
5.    Huddle at 9:45am
6.    Greet and Usher
7.    Receive Offering then Sort and Separate it 
8.    Clean up and put everything back
9.    Lock up

Details:

1. Set up children's area
a)   Always get the TV for the cafeteria brought out before anything else.
b)   Clear 2 rows of tables and chairs. Use the tables to form a wall between cafeteria and teacher's lounge. Place chairs along border by crowd controllers. Leave one row of tables and chairs, closest to the crowd controllers.
c)    Set up nursery. Take pictures of how everything looks before you move the desks so they can be put back exactly how we found them.
Set up Large Group area w/about 20 chairs. Caleb Carmichael will let you know exactly how many.

2. Set up auditorium
a)   Set up crowd controllers: A grid of how the crowd controllers are placed is located here.
b)   Clean up trash from off the floor in the aisles.
c)    Check w/Maggie Rassel to see if there is anything special you need to know about in terms of ushering and the order of the service. If you don't get a chance, this will also be covered in the Huddle. It's just easier to go up beforehand in case you have questions.
d)   Pick up the walkie from the edge of the stage. Yours will be labeled, "Usher." Stay on channel 2; Safety Team is channel 3 and staff are on channel 1.

3. Set up offering area (For Leader Only)
a)   Take the 4 offering bags out of the green box and place them at the front in the designated chairs.
b)   Take the green box over to the little room between the nursery and the older children's area.
c)    Coordinate with Safety Team Leader for the day on details and logistics so they can be prepared. They will need to know who you are choosing to help you with sorting and separating the offering.
d)   Prop open the door to the count room just slightly so you don't have to disturb children's church to get in.

4. Usher meeting before the Huddle
a)   Assign positions to cover during welcome and greeting time and also during offering time.
b)   Ask one to two people to count the people; ask one person to help you with sorting the offering.
Ø  Only background-checked adults may handle the sorting of the offering.
c)    Inform the group about anything that's different or new as compared to services in the past
(i.e if having baptism, what is the protocol, etc.); answer any questions.
d)   Remind everyone to be in position at 10am.
e)    Pray as a group.

5. Huddle at 9:45
a)   Very important for all the team to be on time.

6. Greet and usher
a)   Be in position by 10am.
b)   Make sure everyone is welcoming guests and helping the find a seat; it's easy to get caught up in our own discussions but this takes away from what we're doing.
c)    Make sure once worship starts no one is blocking the aisles. Oversee this portion and adjust logistics according to needs of the people.

7. Sort and separate offering during service (For Leader Only)
a)   Have someone counting with Digital Counter while offering is being taken up. Make sure they have it muted so it will not beep. To silence the beep, hold the red count button down for 3 seconds.
b)   This is the most important responsibility you have. You as the lead usher have full and final responsibility for the offering.
c)    Once the offering is collected, ensure you have all 4 bags before you head over to the count room. Don't leave the lobby/sanctuary unless you have the other usher and a security person to escort you both to the count room.
d)   Once you're in the count room, sort and separate into 3 piles:
1.     General (cash and checks that are not placed in envelopes);
2.     Individual (offerings that are placed in envelopes); and
3.     Connection Cards and other communications.
e)    Place a rubber band around the loose cash and checks and another rubber band around the envelopes. Place these in the plastic bank bag.
f)      Keep the Connection Cards separate; these do not go in the sealed bag.
g)    Fill out the appropriate portions of the count sheet. You and the other usher both sign it.
1.     Be sure to fill in the people count near the bottom of the sheet.
2.     Place this sheet in the bank bag with the general cash and individual offerings.
h)    Mark down on a sticky note the total number of people we have in service. Have this ready to hand to Pastor Mark as he exits the service and moves to the lobby.
i)      Seal the bank bag and give it to the security person.
j)      Take the Connection Cards and place them in the purple bulletin box in the supply room in the lobby.

8. After service- Clean up/put everything back
a)   Take up the crowd controllers; put back in correct areas at back of auditorium.
b)   Pick up trash off the floor.
c)    Return the walkie to the edge of the stage.
d)   Clean up children's areas, making sure to put the equipment back in the teacher's lounge according to the picture on the wall. Caleb is usually there to help guide this part of it.
1.     Make sure the nursery gets put back exactly how we found it.

9. Lock up (For Leader Only)
a)   Lock the 4 entrance doors to auditorium, lock the cafeteria, and close the door to the older children's area.
b)   After everyone leaves, lock up both gates (441 and 235A).
c)    Send Tina a text message, voice mail, or email to confirm that you've locked up and left, or to let her know if there were sporting events going on and you left the gates open.
1.     You should be the last CCAer to leave SFHS, unless Robbie and the band are practicing and have offered to lock the gates for you. Let Tina know all of this in your text message.


Usher Team Orientation


·      Respond to Planning Center Emails. Planning Center is where we schedule all our volunteers. It is important that you accept or decline when you receive your email so your leader can know to expect you on your scheduled day. If you decline and leave a reason, your leader will receive that. You can also block out dates in advance that you know you will be unable to serve due to being out of town, on vacation, etc.

·      Park in back parking lot.  On the Sundays that you serve, we ask you to park in the parking lot behind the auditorium. The entrance is located off 441. This frees up more spaces in front of the auditorium for our guest.

·      Be on time and check-in with your team leader.  Your leader will instruct you on what tasks need to be completed. The Alachua Campus arrival time is 8:45am and the University Campus arrival time is _____.

·      Complete Pre-Huddle set-up. This includes the Nursery set-up and the Crowd Controllers in the auditorium.

·      Attend the Huddle. If you are serving at the Alachua Campus, the Huddle is at 9:45am. If you are serving at the University Campus, the Huddle is at 8:20am. As soon as the Huddle is over, assume your serving position 30 minutes prior to service (Alachua 10am // University 8:30am).

·      Select your personal seat on the back few rows. Because you will be coming into service after service has started, please sit in the back as to not distract our guests. You will also need to have an easy way to exit when the speaker is doing their final prayer to get in position to say good-bye to our guests and assist them with anything they may need.

·      Prepare in prayer.  Before arriving, pray for God’s heart for people each and every time you serve. Ask God how you can put someone else at ease, for the Lord to use you today, and how you can most authentically demonstrate His love.

·      Dress in a manner that would honor Christ.  What we wear can sometimes speak louder than what we say.  Be mindful to not dress in a manner that would DISTRACT others or cause them to stumble.  Although we are a casual church we ask that you do not wear shorts, halter-tops, spaghetti straps, tank tops, or short skirts. Use discretion. If you think your attire is questionable, that it could potentially distract someone, then simply do not wear it.  We will supply you with a shirt.

·      Make sure you wear your nametag. Our nametags identify us as someone our guests can go to if they have a need or question.

·      Greet the guests and assist them with seating. The auditorium is darker than the lobby so it can take a few minutes for our guests eyes to adjust and it can be difficult for them to see seats that are open due to everyone standing. Help them in locating their seat. 

·      Limit lengthy personal conversations. A great way to do this is to ask your family member, friend, life group member, etc. if you can get with them after service.

·      Take your place to receive the offering during the Fellowship Time. Your leader will instruct you where to sit and which aisle you will be working.

·      Exit during the final prayer to reassume our posts to say good-bye to everyone and then pitch in to clean up and tear down Guest Services area.

·      Put Crowd Controllers back once most guests have exited the building.

·      Help with tearing down the Nursery.


·      Safety Team.  We do have a Safety Team on campus so if you see a disturbance that needs attention, get with your leader who has a hand radio and they can contact our Safety Team.