A Day in the Life…
of Greeter Pat Mett
“I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.” Matthew 25:35
To me, greeters are the “first-impression people” welcoming friends and strangers alike. It’s like welcoming people into your own home, God’s home, so they feel that they too are a part of His family. The greeters themselves say that they feel blessed by the worshipers who come through the doors—smiling, happy to be a part of First Church, looking forward to hearing God’s Word.
Team members arrive 45 minutes before worship begins, don an “Ask Me” button, and position themselves at either the front or side doors. Their assignment is to hold the doors open, smile, welcome, assist those with special needs, and have fun. They remain at their post until the service starts and return to their stations during the final hymn to hold the doors open for departing guests; this usually takes only 10 minutes.
As the Greeter Captain for the last two years, I spend a lot of time recruiting volunteers by sending out e-mails to new members, to referrals from Rebecca Harley, or to people who contact me directly. It is not always easy to find greeters, but there is a core group of people I can always count on. I try to find new people throughout the year. Being a greeter is an easy first introduction to volunteering at the church. I may send out 100 e-mails before I am able to fill all the slots for the month.
You can usually find me in the narthex on Sunday mornings helping field questions, giving directions, and making sure people feel welcome. I am truly blessed to be a part of this ministry and First Church.
A Day in the Life…
of Greeters Wolf & Rosie Kraft
We have been volunteering a few times each year for about ten years. When we serve as Sunday greeters, we arrive at least 45 minutes before the service. We welcome the people coming into the church by opening the doors for them and warmly greeting them. We do the same after the service as they depart. Since there are no duties during worship, we are free to enjoy the service and listen to God’s Word.
We have also served as ushers a few times. Ushers welcome people too, but also hand out bulletins and lend assistance to those who need help being seated. During the service, we collect the offering and take a count of the worshipers in our section. After worship service, we make sure our section is cleaned up and ready for the next service. It takes only 10 minutes to finish up our volunteer duties. We enjoy it because it feels like we are contributing something to our church family by volunteering, even in these small capacities.
A Day in the Life…
of Men’s Leadership Team Chair Bill Secrest
The chairman of the Men’s Ministry is responsible for scheduling and coordinating all men’s events in consultation with Pastor Doug Pratt and the Leadership Team. This includes planning and scheduling a monthly meeting of the Leadership Team, preparing meeting agendas, and sending out reminders.
The key activity is the weekly breakfast/Bible study that is held during season. This requires a weekly report to the hospitality and facilities managers on the projected number of attendees so they can prepare the food and set up the room. In addition, assignments are confirmed each week for registration, kitchen help, song leader, and speaker (generally one of our pastors).
The chairman also assigns responsibility to team members to organize the spring and fall golf outings, the spring and fall dinners, member communications, and to schedule staffing for the Sunday morning men’s kiosk. He also selects a team secretary, team treasurer, and kitchen czar.
These activities require administrative and organizational skills, and approximately 10 hours a week to keep everything on track.
