Importance of Ushers & Safety - THANK YOU!

“A church usher is a wonderful example of what it means to serve others, both people and God. The role can be viewed as a spiritual ambassador of your church. A church usher is a person who helps ensure a smoothly run church service and ministers to people in a variety of practical ways” (ServeHQ blog article). 

Another article I read when researching why we have ushers in church stated, “When the ushers see to it that an atmosphere of reverence and order is maintained before, during, and after the service, they do it for God.” (blog post www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/1951/11/do-s-and-don-ts-on-ushering). This one made me smile because, while I agree with the sentiment, I know that many of our SUM ushers enjoy joking around with each other and with others they greet in the sanctuary. We all respect the holiness of the space, but we also like each other and enjoy catching up before or after the service. It’s a great way to get to know more people in our church community.

At SUM, our ushers greet people as they enter the sanctuary, assist people as required, direct people to the bathrooms, take the offering, click the “clicker” to manage the slides, help with the handicap lift, and assist with opening and closing the sanctuary.

We also have a small group of people who serve on our Safety Team. These dedicated volunteers show up on Sunday mornings around 7:30 and don’t leave until close to noon. Our safety members conduct walking patrols inside and outside the building, escort children and teachers to Sunday School, and check on people in the Nursery. The Safety Team and the Ushers work together to ensure a smooth and safe environment.

I want to take a moment to give a heartfelt thanks to everyone who currently (and previously) volunteers as Ushers and Safety at SUM. I help organize ushers and safety for Sunday services and special services, including weddings and funerals. There is some overlap in these two groups, but not as much as you might think. It is truly a pleasure to interact with all of these people, and I want to thank them for being so easy to work with. If you see any of them at church, whether they are ushering or not, please thank them for their service to God and SUM.

Here are the SUM volunteers:

Glenn Knight (co-chair of ushers)
Rick Acheson (also safety)
Jessica Bogdan
Joe Bogdan
Josh Bogdan
Jan Brady
Lucille Burke
Angela Church
Jo Anne Douglas
Jay Fearrington
Melissa Fearrington
Lori Gailey
Peter Gailey
Matthew Jamieson (also safety)
Barry Kline
Alan Lahue
Leslie Lahue
Linda Landrigan
Steve Langin
Eric Lemke (also safety)
Maeve Lemke
Maleita Lemke
Sue Lemke
Sandy Lipscomb
Cathy Marco
Donna Motyl
Mike Motyl
Flinn Mueller (also safety)
Jenny O’Neal
John O’Neal
Sammy Samuel
Susan Samuel
Bob Shea
Lynn Shea
John Thomson
Susan Thomson
Barbara Vasquenza

If I missed anyone, I apologize profusely!! And if you’re interested in joining this amazing group, please email me.

Jennifer Acheson