If you come to a Communion Service at St Mary’s on a Sunday, you will almost certainly see our Servers. Dressed in white, we “serve” at the altar, helping the clergy so that worship can flow smoothly and everyone can focus on God.
What do servers do?
Much of what we do happens quietly, before anyone else arrives and behind the scenes during the Service.
- Before the Service: we prepare the church and set up the altar, making sure everything the clergy need for Holy Communion is in its place, from the altar linen to the bread and wine.
- During the Service: we assist the clergy at the altar, helping at each stage of the Service, especially as the bread and wine are brought forward and prepared for Communion.
- After the Service: we help to clear and tidy the altar so that everything is ready for next time.
It is a ministry of quiet service. When it is done well, hardly anyone notices, and that is exactly the point: it helps the whole congregation worship without distraction.
A friendly team
Occasionally things don’t go quite as planned and we have to “wing it”. A previous curate once said that was one thing he had learned from the servers! At such times, please remember the problems are NEVER the fault of the servers: our beloved clergy like to keep us on our toes (whether deliberately or not), so if things do go awry, you know who to blame. 🙂
As you can probably tell, we are a friendly bunch with a good sense of humour. We feel it is a real privilege to serve at the altar, and we thoroughly enjoy it (and we love our clergy really!).
Could you be a server?
Serving is a lovely way to be more involved in Sunday worship and to get to know others in our church family. You don’t need any experience: you will be shown what to do and supported as you learn. If you would like to find out more, please speak to one of our clergy or contact the Parish Office on 01237 472551.
