Worship Assistants

INSTRUCTIONS FOR LECTORS:

You should receive an emailed copy of the lectionary prior to your scheduled service. Please practice reading the passages out loud, so that you are comfortable with any unusual words or pronunciations and so that you feel confident reading it out loud. There will always be a copy of the lectionary on the Lector’s stand for you, so you do not need to bring your copy.

8:00 & 10:00 Audio Update, please review before serving (updated 8/9/19)

As part of the Bless This House capital campaign, St. John’s has invested in a new sound system for the sanctuary—but improved sound quality depends on YOU!

1. Please arrive 10–15 minutes before the service to check readiness of the lectern:

Step up to the lectern to check the height of the microphone, which needs to be level with your mouth. DO NOT TOUCH or MOVE the microphone to achieve the desired height—instead, arrange one or more of the three red carpeted height boxes to stand on.

2. When you step up to read the lessons:

8:00 lectors, the audio level is preset and the automatic mixer will turn on the lectern microphone as soon as you start speaking. Project your voice and speak louder than normal conversational volume.
10:00 lectors, please count silently to 5 before starting to read, to allow time for the audio technician on duty to turn on the microphone. Project your voice and speak louder than normal conversational volume. The audio technician will adjust levels for the congregation to best hear you.

During the readings:

Read “The First Reading is…” and the introductory paragraph. (10:00 lectors silently count to 5 before reading for audio support) (Notice that there is usually a brief introductory paragraph preceding each reading. It is important to read these. The readings are usually part of the larger context of a book of the Bible, and the introductory paragraphs explain that context and help people better understand the reading.)
Then pause a few seconds before proceeding
Before the reading, you begin with: People of God, listen for the Word of the Lord and the congregation will respond with: Our ears are open!
After the first reading, pause briefly, then say: Word of God, Word of Life and the congregation will respond with: Thanks be to God.
A notation, “Silence for reflection” appears in the bulletin following each reading. This is an important way for the congregation to internalize the Word by pausing momentarily to let it resonate with their own thoughts and experiences.
If a psalm is sung between the readings, step down from the lectern during it and then step back into the lectern to read the second reading
As lector, you control the length of the silence if a psalm is not sung between readings. If there is no psalm, count to 10 here, just standing at the lectern, to allow time for reflection.
Read “The Second Reading is …” and the introductory paragraph
Then pause a few seconds before proceeding with the second reading
At the end of the second reading end with a short pause and say: Word of God, Word of Life to which the congregation responds: Thanks be to God.
If you are also a communion helper, please refer to the Communion Instructions for your responsibilities.