The Weekly “What it takes”.
Opening the building and getting lights and equipment turned on, making several pots of coffee, preparing communion, selecting and prepping the song service, writing and delivering a communion meditation, paying the bills, contacting everyone on the praise team, creating song slides, taking out the trash, leading the song service with instruments or singing, mowing the grass, cleaning up the communion trays, preparing Sunday School lessons, creating sermon slides, bringing the trash cans back from the street, checking for and ordering supplies, washing dish cloths, table clothes and towels, coming early for praise practice, giving Sunday School lessons, counting and keeping track of the offering, preparing and leading Wee Worship, serving communion, running cameras, sound, and projector, picking up donuts from the store, praying that things go well and lives are touched, giving the announcements, greeting members and guests, taking attendance, closing everything down.
These things are all done by volunteers each and every week here at UCC so that worship will go well and people will want to come back (to say nothing of Wednesday night). There might even be things I missed. There are also things people do which are monthly, quarterly and annually.
There are two things I would like for you to take from this list. 1. Take a moment to notice the things that someone had to spend time and effort on for you and tell them “Thank you”. We usually only notice (and comment) when something isn’t how we expect it to be. 2. None of this just happens on its own. Think about how you might be of help in one of those, or other areas, approach someone and offer your assistance. If you don’t know who, start with the preacher or Elders. They will be able to point you to the right person.
And a great big thank you to everyone who does these things every week, or the things that happen less frequently. It absolutely, positively would not happen without you.