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Our Mission: To be a compassionate, welcoming community that nurtures spiritual growth and practices justice.

Sunday Morning Hospitality at First UU
Roles/ Descriptions /Instructions

Thank you for being a part of Sunday Morning Hospitality at First UU Church. You are joining a like-hearted family of people who endeavor to create a warm and welcoming community for all who enter our doors, from first-time visitors to longtime members. Do you have a passion for meeting new people, discovering connections, and making others feel comfortable? If so, we hope you will find volunteering in this capacity for our church to be equally rewarding. Please know that your service is deeply appreciated by all.

Hospitality Circles

Hospitality Circles strive to provide a robust welcome to members and visitors attending worship on Sunday mornings while creating opportunities for volunteers to deepen connections and build community within their Circles.

Hospitality Circle Leaders

Week #1 9am – Deb Mowry/11am – Marty Hartz
Week #2 9am – Lisa Talcott/11am – Barbara Anderson
Week #3 9am – Emily Morgan/11am – Emily Morgan
Week #4 9am – Gus Braga/11am – Jen Bjorgum
Week #5 9am – Heather Hanson/11am – Heather Hanson

Circle Leaders are recruited and trained by the Congregational Life Team to oversee Sunday morning Hospitality Volunteers (Greeters, Ushers, and Welcome Table Hosts).

  •  There will be one Circle Leader for each service on Sunday (one at 9 am and one at 11 am). 
  • Circle Leaders will be listed on the Sign-Up Genius for the Sundays they choose. (They could sign up for “First Sunday of the month at 9 a.m.” or they could select a handful of Sundays that work for them, if not already spoken for by another Circle Leader.) 
  • Circle Leaders are invited to recruit their own team, or “circle,” consisting of the three Hospitality Volunteer jobs listed below, but the Sign-Up Genius will be open to the whole congregation so that volunteers can flex between circles. Part of the role of being a Circle Leader is to nurture the volunteers by providing support, expressing gratitude, and perhaps even suggesting additional fellowship outside of Sunday mornings to get to know each other better. 
  • Circle Leaders will assist where needed on Sunday mornings. If other jobs are still unfilled, the Circle Leader can step in or ask other congregants who have already arrived at church to fill in and help out.  
  • IF Melissa is absent, Circle Leaders may attend the staff meeting in sanctuary to get details for Sunday mornings, and report back to group at 8:30am or 10:30am.

HOSPITALITY VOLUNTEERS will be asked to gather (“circle up”) with their Circle Leader one-half hour before the service begins to center themselves and:

  • Check in with each other.
  • Learn about any special elements of the day’s service (i.e., children’s participation, special guests, etc.) or building concerns (such as a leaky roof or a nonfunctioning toilet)
  • Review hospitality volunteer roles and expectations for those who may be new.
  • “Close the circle” by quickly checking in with the Circle Leader to report any concerns and note new visitors. 
  • Those hospitality volunteers who can stay for Coffee Hour are encouraged to seek out the visitors, make them feel welcome, and introduce them to at least one other person.
  • New members of Circles are welcome to “shadow” leaders to get a feel for a position.

Duties of the Hospitality Circle Team Volunteers are as follows:

 Greeters (two people or a family) 

  • Apply a “Greeter” tag to their nametags and stand near the front door welcoming everyone with a wave, a handshake, or an elbow bump, as they are comfortable. 
  • Bring new visitors to the Welcome Table and direct them to the Sanctuary, restrooms, and RE wing as necessary. If there are enough greeters, the Circle Leader (or Melissa) could escort a visitor up the stairs to the Sanctuary to find a seat. 
  • Stay in the lobby to catch latecomers until five minutes after the service begins.

Please sign up for this volunteer position on Sign Up Genius. 

Welcome Table Host (one volunteer) 

  • Apply a “Welcome Table Host” tag to their nametag.
  • Invite visitors to make a nametag, fill out a Visitor Form, and take a New Member Packet. 
  • Introduce visitors to Melissa, if she is available. If she is not, see if the Circle Leader is available to escort them to the Sanctuary.

Please sign up for this volunteer position on Sign Up Genius. 

 Ushers (Two volunteers) 

  • Greet people as they enter the sanctuary and offer them a bulletin and a hymnal from the shelves by the doors.
  • Assist people with special needs. (*See below)
  • Offertory: Seats in the sanctuary are divided into three sections. Ushers will distribute one offertory plate per section, which congregants will pass to the back, where ushers will collect them and bring them to Erika. 
  • Ushers are no longer required to count attendance or the offertory. 
  • Re-stack the hymnals as they are returned to the shelves by the sanctuary doors.

Please sign up for this volunteer position on Sign Up Genius. 

*Sanitized hearing assistance devices are available if anyone asks. If they have not been placed by the doors, Erika has a basket back by the AV table)

*Two designated spaces on the elevator side of the sanctuary have been reserved for wheelchairs. 

*Ushers may need to assist people using wheelchairs or walkers if they need help.