Usher/welcomer

The usher or welcomer is the first person one meets at most church houses (ecclesea) before they join a gathering.

When I was young the welcomer at our church was an elderly man who handed out the hymn books and inserted the news bulletin. Sometimes a source of a witty remark, usually a friendly 'good morning' and a smile.

A straightforward job?

It might look so, but in my view it is far from it.

The ushers certainly do the above, but also handle new comers. They make a special note to chat to them later and offer refreshment if they stay on after the formal proceedings are concluded.

And there's more.

As the first point of contact, the usher needs to be able to give a ready answer to any of the five basic questions of church life.

They also need to be the 'first responder' and be able to handle everyday emergencies and provide a security function (in a good way). They need to be able to handle difficult people, people in distress and people needing emergency aid. They need to know basic emergency life support, how to use the fire-fighting apparatus on hand, and be the emergency wardens to manage evacuation, crowd control and calling emergency services in the case of fire or other life threatening event.

Our church is working towards this; so should yours.