Worship Associates Team

The Worship Team provides an avenue for church members to participate in the creation of Sunday morning worship services.  Most often, worship associates and anchors support minister-led services.  They also support services led by guest worship leaders.  Experienced worship team members lead services as well, in the summer and at other times during the year, usually working as part of a team of lay leaders.  

Applications for the Worship Team are due by April 15, 2010. Applications should be submitted by attaching the application in an email to minister@uueugene.org. If applications cannot be submitted by email, they can be delivered to Rev. Steve in the main office by April 15 2010. You will be notified by April 30th regarding your application.

Description Worship Associates

Worship associates work with the minister and other worship associates to plan and conduct Sunday morning services throughout the year. 

When working with the minister, the worship associates typically speaks on the phone or meets with the minister two or three weeks ahead of the service to discuss the theme of the service.  While the minister makes final decisions regarding the hymns, readings, and other aspects of the service, the worship associate often has input, such as selecting the meditation.  Worship associates typically lead the welcome and announcements, introduce the meditation, light candles during the candles of community, and often recite a reading. 

Qualifications

• Be a UUCE member
• Ease and comfort in speaking to large groups
• Responsible and punctual
• Communicates respectfully and appropriately
• Willing to do research and be open to spiritual practices that support the creation of worship
• Likes to work as part of a team
• Able to receive coaching and direction from the minister

Commitments

• Attend Worship Team training (Training dates will be announced in March, 2010)
• Serve as worship associate or anchor approximately eight Sundays per year (twice each quarter)
• Attend Worship Team meetings on Sundays from 12:30-2:00pm once every six weeks
• Contact the minister or other worship leader one month before the service to set up an appointment to discuss and plan it
• One year commitment

Anchors Description

Anchors work behind-the-scenes to help prepare the worship space, support the worship leaders, and do the little, invisible things that help make an event go smoothly. 

“Anchor”: An instrument that holds the vessel in place, that keeps it from drifting off course.  A device giving stability to a structure.

The Anchor creates a space of safety so that people may have a meaningful worship experience.  They stay attentive to the needs of the worship leaders and the congregation. 

Anchors bring water or a hot drink to the worship leaders, make sure the candles are set up, and slide open the dividing wall to the social hall when the sanctuary is filled. They look out for people with special needs and tend to them directly (helping an elderly person to their chair) or ask someone else to do this.  They see how well people are being greeted.  If hymnals are not distributed, the anchor notices this and make sure they are.  This practical focus includes a spiritual dimension.  What is the energy, the sense, of the group in the room?  Anchors can do little things that help shift the feeling in the room.

We seek a diverse Worship Team that reflects our commitment as an inclusive, multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi-generational congregation.  Therefore, we encourage congregants of all ages, races, genders, and sexual orientations to apply.

UUCE WORSHIP TEAM APPLICATION 2010

Either download the RTF form, fill it out, and send it back,
OR
Copy and paste the following into an email message and
intersperse your responses as appropriate before sending or delivering
to Rev. Landale

Please answer the following questions fully but briefly.  (Use the back side if necessary).  Both the substance and the style of your answers will be considered.  You are welcome to apply for more than one position.

Applications should be submitted to minister@uueugene.org or left in the minister’s mailbox near the photocopier in the church office.  Applicants will be notified by June 20. 

Please check the position(s) for which are you are applying. 

          ____ Worship Associate
          ____ Anchor
          ____ Both

Name:

Mailing address:

Phone(s):

Email:

• Please describe your religious and spiritual background.  Include your familiarity with the history and traditions of Unitarian Universalism and the history, traditions, and liturgy of this congregation.

• Please tell us more about your aspects of your involvement with The Unitarian Universalist Church in Eugene that were not covered in question #1 (classes taken or taught, committees served on, Religious Education, choir, etc.).  How long have you been attending services and how long have you been a member?

• In what special ways has our church community ministered to you?

• What skills, talents, experience or special knowledge would you offer the worshipping community?  Do you have experience in public speaking?  What worship arts gifts (ritual, music, etc.) can you offer?

• What would you like to get out of the experience of being on the Worship Team?  Name your top three hopes.

• What would be your three greatest challenges in serving on the Worship Team?
  
  
• Please describe any experience or gifts you have in children’s or intergenerational worship.

• What are the top three worship themes or topics you’d particularly like to explore?
  
  
• Is there anything else you’d like us to know about you?

Send your responses by April 15, 2010 to Rev. Ames at minister@uueugene.org
You will be notified by April 30th regarding your application.