Altar Guild

The God who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God.

2 Corinthians 9.

Do you know the Altar Guild? 
The Altar Guild is the name we give to the group of people who work between Sundays and behind the scenes to make our worship happen. 

Every week:
someone has to bring the wine, bread, and grape juice for our Eucharist meal;
someone needs to discard the used flower arrangements or bring new flower arrangements to adorn our space;
Regularly: 
someone needs to clean our communion ware and wash our fair linens;
someone needs to fill our candles and polish our brass and metal furnishings;
Seasonally: 
someone needs to change the paraments and banners that signal the season;
someone needs to decorate and adorn our space to make visible the holidays and milestones that mark our lives.

While we’ve been worshipping from home each of us has been responsible for our own Eucharist elements, paraments, furnishings, and space. 

As we prepare to gather in the sanctuary for worship - TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!!!! - one of the blessings of community will be that we can share in these roles and serve one another. 
We all know the relief of sometimes resting and being served. And many of us know the joy of contributing and being the one who serves others for a spell. 

This is actually what makes worship so beautiful. Just like the harmony of group singing compares to singing at home, alone, our worship together in the sanctuary can include a chorus of contributions that create something beyond each one of us. 

This summer, as we gather for worship in the sanctuary at 1550 Meridian, Janet Keeley has volunteered to serve as our Sacristan. A Sacristan is the person who invites and coordinates all of us to take turns and help make worship happen. 
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Janet and I will hold a training for everyone who might like to learn how to prepare Communion, serve Communion, change paraments or banners, refill oil candles, or care for holy furnishings. We’ll also teach our COVID safety protocols for serving communion.  

Most of the help that volunteers do in these roles can be done on your own time, during the week. Most of these things can be done by one person. It’s also a good opportunity for parents to involve children in worship practices, for CGS folk to invite friends to a low-pressure introduction to church, or couples to have a shared spiritual practice. You can volunteer one time, or on a regular basis for one or more roles. 

If this is something you’d be interested in doing, even for the first time, I encourage you to come by the church building on Saturday, May 22nd at 10am. 

If you’re unable to make it to the training session, I encourage you to reach out to Janet to sign up or get one-on-one instructions. Please fill out the form below and indicate what Altar Guild roles you would be interested in. 
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Praise be to God that soon we will share worship together in the sanctuary. I look forward to what you will bring! 

- Pastor Manda