Worship & Music Ministry Team

Second Sundays at 11:15 a.m.

Choir Room

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Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before God with joyful songs.

Psalm 100:1-2 (NIV)

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The mission of the Worship & Music Ministry Team is to work prayerfully with the Pastor and other worship leaders to ensure regular, Spirited-centered worship of God through the proclamation of God’s Word, through music, and through art and environment. The goal of every worship activity is to glorify God and draw people nearer to God.

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The W&M Ministry Team has a special responsibility to ensure that all worship services conform to the requirements detailed in the Directory for Worship section of the current PC(USA) Book of Order (W-1.01 through W5.0401):

• Chapter 1 – The Theology of Christian Worship

• Chapter 2 – The Ordering of Reformed Worship

• Chapter 3 – The Service for the Lord’s Day

• Chapter 4 – Pastoral and Occasional Services

• Chapter 5 – Worship and Christian Life

 

The Worship & Music Ministry Team, in consultation with the Building & Grounds Ministry Team, has primary responsibility for managing the use and readiness of the following areas of the facility:

• Narthex

• Sanctuary, including balcony and adjacent storage areas

• Sacristy

• Choir room (shared with Nurture & Christian Education Ministry Team)

 

W&M Special Membership Requirements

The ministry team is chaired by a Ruling Elder. The members are volunteers with spiritual gifts and skills aligned with the work of the ministry team, and should include:

• Musician(s) responsible for providing music during worship

• Tech Team leader, responsible for managing audio/visual and technical support for both in-person and online worship

The Worship & Music Ministry Team provides one musician and one ex officio member to the Wedding Ministry Team.

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Worship & Music Ministry Team Areas of Responsibilities

The Worship & Music Ministry Team has overall responsibility for coordinating all of the elements needed for worship services and activities, including regular weekly Sunday morning worship and special services (e.g., Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Christmas Eve), as well as baptisms, weddings, and funerals.

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General Administration: Duties and Responsibilities

• Planning for and managing the Worship & Music budget

• Providing periodic ministry team status reports to Session

• Ensuring that requests for weddings, baptisms, and funerals are referred to Session and to other ministry teams as needed

 

Sacred Space: Duties and Responsibilities

• Cleaning and maintaining paraments

• Polishing service pieces, such as communion trays

• Ensuring pews are clean, tidy, and stocked with hymnals, Bibles, pew cards, and pencils

• Putting up and taking down seasonal décor, such as Advent wreath and candles, greens, and Chrismon tree

• With support from the Office Manager:

  • Ensure frequently used worship-related supplies are on hand (e.g., candles)

  • Arrange for special worship supplies and preparations such as seasonal bulletin covers, and special decorations and banners as appropriate for each season of the church calendar

  • Maintain name tags

  • Manage Sunday flower calendar and donations

  • Manage seasonal poinsettia and Easter lily tributes:

    • Invite participants

    • Track donations

    • Prepare bulletin insert listing tributes

• Order flowers

• Preparing the narthex prior to every worship event, ensuring:

  • Necessary materials are available, such as bulletins, attendance list, name tags, etc.

  • Area is tidy, especially the welcome table

  • Only authorized materials and equipment are in the narthex, including mission collection receptacles, ministry team and mission partner educational displays, etc.

• Preparing the sanctuary or other worship space just prior to worship service:

  • Paraments are in place, displaying the correct liturgical colors for the season/event

  • Flowers/plants/seasonal décor are in position

  • Candles are in position

 

Proclaiming the Word: Duties and Responsibilities

• Ensuring that the Word is proclaimed at every worship service by an appropriate person, whether clergy or lay

• When the Pastor is not available, arranging for appropriate pulpit supply, with assistance from the Pastor

• Supporting lay leaders in learning to give testimony and proclaim the Word

 

Welcoming: Duties and Responsibilities

• Recruiting, training, and scheduling greeters and ushers for all worship services

• Recruiting, training, and scheduling building stewards for all worship services (to control access to the facility, and manage lights and fountain)

 

Worshiping: Duties and Responsibilities

• Recruiting, training, and scheduling liturgists at the direction of the pastor

• Determining worship location

• Worship leaders are scheduled and in place:

  • Proclaimer of the Word

  • Acolyte/candle-lighter

  • Musicians-keyboard and vocal

  • Tech team 

 

Sacraments: Duties and Responsibilities

• Working with Session to obtain approval for all Communion events, including in-home

• Communion:

  • Coordinating support for the Lord’s Supper, including:

  • Providing, preparing, and displaying elements on the Table

  • Providing and preparing elements for distribution to the congregation

  • Scheduling trained individuals to serve the elements (including nursery team)

  • Scheduling clean-up crew to wash up, tidy the sacristy, and pick up used cups from the pews

• Baptism:

  • Ensuring the baptismal font is in position and filled with warm water

  • Disposing of water and drying the font after worship

 

Music: Duties and Responsibilities

• Scheduling musicians (instrumental and vocal) to lead regular weekly worship, as well as occasional special music on Sundays, and musicians for special worship events

• Working with the Pastor to ensure all hymns and musical selections are liturgically correct and suitable for the worship style and content

• Requesting and disbursing checks for paid musicians

• Providing for the maintenance of musical instruments and other worship equipment; e.g., piano tuning

• Managing the Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) account

 

Technology: Duties and Responsibilities

• Scheduling for the operation of A/V equipment for in-person and live-streaming events

• Selecting, purchasing, and maintaining A/V equipment

• Setting up equipment prior to worship as needed, including microphones and cameras

• Ensuring that equipment is functioning and set properly before worship begins (e.g., testing microphones)

• Engaging virtual worshipping community and responding to any needs or concerns.