Dear First Church Community,
As First Church begins to take steps towards gathering back together to worship in-person, we are reminded of another season when our congregation faced a big transition, and how we made it through.
Back in 2009, when First Church was in-between buildings, we worshipped at the Seattle Children’s Theatre while our current building was being built. Church members remember it being a season of tremendous volunteer effort at First Church. This season was when our volunteer grid was first organized, started by Barbara Moreland out of necessity: It took over 20 volunteers each Sunday to haul equipment out of storage, serve in worship, and offer hospitality as other volunteers reset the stage again to whatever play was in session at the time. Each person at First Church made a time of transition possible by volunteering your time and energy to ensure our community was able to gather to worship.
Twelve years later, as First Church transitions into COVID-era in-person worship, we need volunteers to help make gathering possible. You may recall our email last summer detailing all the staff and volunteer involvement in producing our online service each week. This includes everything from our Pastors writing sermons to our choir members individually recording their parts of our choir performances and hymns. In addition to this, it takes at least 20 volunteers to run our in-person worship service, and a minimum of 15 people to cook and and serve Shared Breakfast. Some roles are only for a few minutes, some are for an hour or more. But all are needed.
We can only begin to meet in person if these roles are filled. Our volunteer schedule and pool has been turned upside down over the past year, and we want to ask you to consider volunteering so that we can open, safe and confident that our worship gatherings will honor public health and our call to Christian community. Our current volunteer pool is not sufficient to fill the volunteer needs we have, and we want to invite you to consider how you might be able to help.
Here are some of the roles we need filled in the coming weeks
- Up front worship leadership roles: Worship Leader, Scripture Reader, Communion Servers, Acolytes (a great volunteer opportunity for Children & Youth). These roles are virtual right now, but will be in-person starting August 15th. We will continue to offer the option of recording a scripture reading to those who are unable to attend worship in-person.
- “Back of the house” support roles: Communion Steward (prepares communion elements according to COVID protocols), Audio/Visual Volunteers (we now need two each Sunday, one to run “inside” worship and the other to run “online” worship) These are needed immediately, and training is available.
- Welcome and Hospitality: Welcome Desk Greeter, Front Door Greeter, Security Shepherd (inside the sanctuary), and Ushers in the service.
To volunteer for this Sunday, July 18th, or future Sundays, contact Alicia Choi at office@firstchurchseattle.org . She can share the volunteer schedule with you, and give you more information about specific roles.
If this isn’t a season when you can volunteer because you are staying home from gatherings, we see you and we affirm your decisions. There are also opportunities to serve from home, so please let us know of your interest and how you are willing to serve from home.
We are reminded that “there is one body, but it has many parts. But all its many parts make up one body. It is the same with Christ.” (1 Corinthians 12:12)
May you see yourself as an essential First Church volunteer in this season, and may our worship and ministry and missions reflect God’s goodness, grace, mercy, and peace in this time.
Blessings,
Pastor Yvonne and Pastor Jeremy