The objective of the youth usher ministry leaders is to emulate the images of positive peer instructions. It is our job as shareholders in the lives of each usher to not only reflect the will of God but, to foster the spiritual growth and leadership patter that our Lord and Savior did when he selected His disciples. It is now the ministry leader’s responsibility to follow that path when making their selections for the future leaders of this ministry.
Who Can Be an Usher
Not just anyone can be an usher just as all can’t be the pastor or deacon. In the same way not just, anyone can sing in the choir, work in children’s ministry or lead a small group. The right gifts, passion, and ability make a big difference makes that ministry fit for each special individual.
As we recruit new ushers we will always keep spiritual qualities, characteristics and usher responsibilities in mind. It is important that you as usher take notice to the members that stand beside you and make sure you work in coordination with your ministry leader or a service leader rather than practicing “random recruiting.”
The Spiritual Qualities of a Junior Usher
The fruit of the spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23 is a solid guideline for a good usher. This is not about perfection, but a heartfelt motive and desire to live a life of a spirit-filled believer.
When you surrender your life to Jesus, your salvation is not free. It's bought with a very high price and is best described by the death of Christ. You may sometimes ask yourself why God thinks you're worthy of that sacrifice? Despite all of your attempts at perfection, you constantly miss the mark. Surely trading Jesus' excellence for your mediocrity could not have been the best choice. But our Heavenly Father has a very special kind of love towards you. He longs for you to be able to bask in His presence. And, once He finally gets you - You're Marked.
Now, the changes don't happen overnight as we would probably desire. They're gradual. You may not notice them over days and weeks. Or even after several months. But, you are God's work in progress - Not your own.
As explained, the Fruit of the Spirit are not things that we can scrounge up on our own. But, the more time you spend truly seeking God, the more these signs of your allegiance to Him become evident in every area of your life. (http://www.hem-of-his-garment-bible-study.org/fruit-of-the-holy-spirit.html)
Through everything that you do and everything that you say, you begin to look more like Jesus. This is ultimately what being an usher all is about. The path to fostering the qualities of a genuine usher is not something you can walk onto your post and become, but just like training to ride a bike for the first time, over time, you can ride with no hands. Complementary, the below describes what each Spirit of God will do for you.
Love – In I Corinthians 13:13 the apostle Paul says that love is the greatest of these things. If you choose to genuinely love the people you serve as an usher, God will bless your actions.
Joy – Take God seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously. Lighten up and enjoy the moment. Your spirit will be contagious to others. If you are cold, aloof, and don’t smile (basically you are a grumpy usher) you will discourage others around you.
Peace – You can add peace, calm, and order to what might otherwise be an overwhelming and hectic experience.
Patience – This is a great quality of a good usher. Most of us are impatient by nature. Many of the people will have waited in line to park, waited in line to drop their kids off, and waited in line for coffee. Their patience will be running thin. You can set a good example with your patience toward them.
Kindness – This is the attitude that makes you approachable as an usher. Going the extra mile can make all the difference in the world! Be imaginative. Think of all the ways you could show kindness to someone as they come to worship.
Goodness – The inner quality of goodness is a gift that results from the Holy Spirit’s power working within us. This state of being will naturally spill over into our service and bring an intangible but powerful presence into the worship experience.
Faithfulness – Faithfulness as a Christian bleeds over into your faithfulness as an usher. Showing up, being responsible and doing your ministry well matters to all of us on the Cade Usher Ministry. It matters to God, and it matters to all those who call Cade Chapel home.
Gentleness – A mature usher never throws around his or her authority. The best usher is a humble one who seeks to put others first no matter how much pressure may be present in the moment.
Self-Control – It is impossible to control a large crowd even if we cannot control ourselves. In calm moments self-control is easy, it’s under the pressure of hectic moments and last-minute changes that your grace and self-control will shine.
WHAT PRODUCES A GOOD USHER
A junior usher must be well groomed at all times. He or she must take inventory of self. Make sure he/she uses mouthwash, deodorant, has hair groomed, shoes cleaned and not chewing gum. Junior ushers must be on time, never leave his/her post. Their attitude must be pleasant, talk in a pleasant tone, and they must be pleasant with all members and visitors.
An usher must be able to communicate with members and visitors. Kindness in conversation is very important. There is a time to seat all members and visitors. No person should be seating during the call to worship. Since the congregation is standing, this is the best time for seating late comers. No one is seated during the scripture reading, prayer, offertory period, meditation, and sermon.
All ushers must receive training before they serve the members and visitors of the church. Training is necessary because you are faced with difficult people, and you must be able to recognize signals. All first aid and equipment must be available, in case of an emergency. All articles that are left behind after service should be placed in the lost and found box. Sometimes ushers are asked to perform other duties. He/she must be willing to perform these duties in a Christian manner.
The junior usher needs to be a young man/woman of considerable maturity and Christian graces. He/she should be a person who feels comfortable about the pastor and the church. The usher should be given full authority and responsibility for the church ushering job. Since ushers deal directly with individual churchgoers, it is necessary for them to know many things about their church. Ushers will be asked many questions, which they can answer if they are familiar with the necessary information, such as the church office hours, bus schedules, bathroom locations, Sunday school department and adult classroom.
Ushers working between Sunday school and church have little opportunity for conversation with the people. Since large numbers of people are to be seated, the greeting generally must be confined to a nod, a smile, and a few quick words. Allow the hospitality of this church to become incarnate in you. Be understanding with the difficult person. Exercise compassion with all kinds of people. Learn to be efficient, but not at the expense of kindness.
Considerable Age of Perspective Junior Ushers range from 11 – 18. Those that are interest should contact the Youth Department Junior Usher Ministry Leaders for details and scheduling dates.
Willie Gray, 601-946-7028, wgray01@bellsouth.net(mailto:wgray01@bellsouth.net)
Renita Wright, 601-951-8264, Ybwright9@gmail.com(mailto:Ybwright9@gmail.com)