CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER- Morristown, NJ

It takes a lot of work to maintain a church as active and vibrant as Redeemer. Our members are the bedrock of the Redeemer community, and we take their service to the church seriously. Therefore, all members are required to pledge their time to one or more of the following ministries.

Worship [ back to top ]

Acolyte

Responsibilities: lead processional, Gospel presentation and recessional; carry cross, candles, banner, flag, etc. View the Acolyte Service Guide.

Altar Guild

Responsibilities: set up altar area for services (includes all Eucharistic materials), clean and maintain altar vessels, candles, and crosses, change seasonal banners, attend to robes and vestments, decorate the church for holidays, meet other needs of the rector (setting up for weddings, baptisms, funerals, special services, etc.).

Assistant to the Celebrant

Responsibilities: aid the pastoral leaders throughout the service; during the Peace, set the table for the Eucharist; assist the celebrant during the Eucharist; give the dismissal. Read the lesson(s) in the absence of one or more lectors; all Assistants receive advance copies of the lessons so they can be prepared.


Acolyte		Altar Guild		Assistant to the Celebrant

Chalice Bearer

Responsibilities: process with bread and chalices of wine and grape juice at start of the Eucharist. Serve the congregation.

Choir

Responsibilities: sing at the second service on Sunday and at special services such as Advent Evensong, Christmas Eve, and Easter.

More information: Redeemer Music page

Greeter

Responsibilities: greet individuals at the end of the second service, help staff a visitor's table, provide information to visitors, offer help in filling out visitor information sheets, chat with visitors at coffee hour.


Chalice Bearer		Choir

Intercessor

Responsibilities: lead the Prayers of the People during the service; be available for at least twenty minutes before the second service to assist people in writing concerns and thanksgivings in the Prayers of the People Book. (Second service -- two people.)

Lector

Responsibilities: read Hebrew, Christian, or Contemporary Lesson during the worship service.

Supplementary Instrumentalist

Responsibilities: play an instrument as a prelude or postlude, during the offertory, or to accompany hymns, or part of an anthem.


Usher		Lector		Supplementary Instrumentalist

Usher

Responsibilities: hand out programs, control lighting settings, collect and present offering, direct movement of congregation during the Eucharist, straighten-up pews, and lock up church after the service.

Worship Coordinator

Responsibilities: set up Sanctuary (Aids Chapel, Healing Prayer Stations) prior to start of second service. Check-in participants and find appropriate substitutes, as needed. (Must arrive one hour prior to start of second service).

Worship Committee

Responsibilities: review liturgies and worship practices, make recommendations to rector about changes and innovations. (This is an advisory group; in the Episcopal Church, the rector has final authority in this area.)


Intercessor		Sunday School youth making bread		Worship Coordinator

Youth Education [ back to top ]

Lead Sunday School Teacher

Responsible for planning and implementing a lesson and related activities appropriate to the scripture lessons. Greet and shepherd children, listen to the story with them. Help kids do art activity, serve the feast, pray and clean up. Teens as well as adults are welcome to participate in this ministry.

Sunday School Teacher Assistant

Responsibilities: assist Lead Teacher as needed. Greet children. Help kids participate in the story and art, cooking, or other activities, serve the feast, pray and clean up.

Sunday School Guest Teacher

Responsibilities: create and present an activity or project that contributes to the children's spiritual growth, drawing on your experience in church ministry, work, volunteer activities, or hobbies.

Sunday School Substitute Teacher

Responsibilities: fill in for a Sunday school teacher. Talk with the teacher ahead of time, if possible for a lesson or create your own lesson plan. Greet children and take attendance. Present a story and lead a creative response. Coordinate the feast and prayer.

Nursery Caregiver Substitute

Responsibilities: fill in for a Nursery caregiver on a Sunday or at a special event, such as Advent Evensong. Welcome babies and toddlers (up to age 3 only) and take attendance. Let the children sleep or help them play safely. Parents drop off and pick up children. Clean up area at close.

Help With Inter-generational Events and Projects

Responsibilities: Accompany children on field trips, organize or lead activities for Family Night, host a gathering for families or help with other youth and family projects such as the following:

Thanksgiving Gratitude Rings
Advent Wreaths
Christmas Pageant
Underground Railroad for MLK
Pancake Breakfast and Pancake Race
Children’s Ash Wednesday Service
Burying of the Alleluia Banner
Children’s Stations of the Cross and Baking of Hot Cross Buns
Easter Egg Hunt for Youngsters
Creation of “Re- Shoppers” for Earth Day
Mothers Day
Fathers Day
Youth Sabbath Sunday
Parish Picnics
“Too Cool For Sunday School” Band
Assist with Summer Program

Youth Education Committee

Responsibilities: advocate for children and youth in the parish. Plan and support events and activities for children and families. Review and recommend activities and procedures for Sunday School. Help to create and implement a vision for ministry with Middle School and High School youth.

Confirmation Mentor and Sponsor

Responsibilities: participate with our teens and pre-teens as they prepare for confirmation. The expectation is a sharing of the spiritual journey together as the youth prepares to make an intentional commitment to a wider community.

Youth Group Ministry

Responsibilities: work with the Youth Education Director in ministry with pre-teens and teenagers. The emphasis of the group is to create community for these individuals and to help them connect to something larger than themselves both within the church and the world outside its doors.

More information: Youth page


Confirmation		Nursery		Christmas Pageant

Pastoral Care [ back to top ]

Home CommunionTeam

Responsibilities: take communion to the sick and home-bound in their home, hospital or nursing home.

Pastoral Response Team

Responsibilities: provide various kinds of assistance to members of the congregation, including home visitation, home communion, transportation, meals, etc.

Prayer Chain

Responsibilities: include people, in times of crisis and joy, in your personal prayers. Prayer requests come through members of Redeemer and are distributed through e-mail. Prayer chain members believe in the power of prayer and keep all requests completely confidential.

Healing Prayer

Responsibilities: meet for quiet meditation and discussion of healing and prayer; please join us in expectancy, rather than expectation, as we continue the journey to healing and wholeness.

More information: Healing Prayer

Altar Flower Delivery Volunteer and Senior Gifts Volunteer

Responsibilities: deliver altar flowers to sick, homebound, and elderly members of the parish; and gifts provided by the church at Easter and Christmas.


Home visitation		Healing Prayer		Altar Flower Delivery

Parish Support [ back to top ]

Office Volunteer

Responsibilities: assist in the office when needed: photocopying, preparing special mailings, collating and stapling worship booklets; working on special projects for the Parish Administrator or Pastor. Individuals must be available during weekday hours to serve on this ministry.

Prospective Vestry Member

Responsibilities: volunteer to be considered for a vestry position should a vacancy develop. Must make both a financial and a ministry pledge.

Money Counter

Responsibilities: count and record the Sunday offering, make deposit at the bank next door to the church.

Stewardship Team

Responsibilities: promote Stewardship as a spiritual experience reflecting our awareness of the need to be good Stewards of all that we have. This includes conducting the annual financial and ministry pledge programs.

Nominating Committee Member

Responsibilities: if selected by Vestry, will serve on a committee to advise the vestry by nominating suitable candidates for: (1) vacancies on the Vestry, including the treasurer and clerk, (2) honorees for church awards, such as the Shalom Ministry Award, (3) convention delegates, and (4) other church positions as needed.


Office Volunteer		Money Counters		Stewardship

Social Concerns [ back to top ]

Serendipity Stitchers

Responsibilities: Knit and crochet hats and scarves for soup kitchen guests and blankets for Project Linus.

Soup Kitchen

Responsibilities: after church, serve a hearty meal to around 100 guests by volunteering for a Redeemer Soup Kitchen Team. Under the direction of team captains and the Community Soup Kitchen (CSK) Staff, participate in food preparation, serving meals, and cleanup.

Dessert Provider for Soup Kitchen

Responsibilities: provide dessert for about 80 - 100 CSK guests. Choice of dessert is yours; cookies, cakes, ice cream, etc. The CSK guests will be thrilled to have your contribution. You will be assigned to one of our Redeemer Soup Kitchen Teams, who will serve your dessert.

Substitute Soup Kitchen Volunteer

Responsibilities: volunteer to serve when a regular Soup Kitchen Team requires a replacement.

Soup Kitchen Cooking Team

Responsibilities: having fun while preparing casseroles and desserts for our Redeemer Soup Kitchen Teams to serve. Ingredients for these casseroles and desserts will be provided by Redeemer and the CSK. Children will be welcomed in this Soup Kitchen Ministry.


Soup Kitchen Cooking Team		Soup Kitchen Guests		Soup Kitchen Cooking Team

Interfaith Council for Homeless Families

A community response to the community need of homeless children and their families. Read more on our Outreach page.

Eric Johnson House Volunteer

Responsibilities: speak personally to the staff of the Eric Johnson House to arrange placement on one of the volunteer schedules.

Soup Kitchen Hunger Walk (in fall) and Aids Walk (in spring)

Responsibilities: solicit sponsors and participate in the Soup Kitchen Hunger Walk and the Eric Johnson House AIDS Walk.

Operation Love (Christmas Activity with the Church of God in Christ, Morristown)

Responsibilities: pack and/or deliver Christmas boxes of food and gifts to needy families in the Morristown area.


Sr. Jane’s orphanage		Sister Jane		Redeemer School, Cameroon

Cameroon Orphanage Team

Responsibilities: support the work of Sr. Jane’s orphanage in Cameroon by assisting in providing a water system, learning of the needs and communicating them to members of Redeemer, and by becoming an advocate for this ministry in Africa.

Peace Site Ministry

Responsibilities: Work on local and international peace issues selected by committee members. Examples of issues from the past year: ending the genocide in Darfur, supporting legislation to create a U.S. Department of Peace, co-sponsoring workshops teaching NVC (nonviolent communication) and hosting the Eyes Wide Open exhibit on our front lawn.

Environmental Concerns Group

Responsibilities: seek ways to identify environmental concerns and then act on them both within and outside the parish.


Getting ready for the Ministry Fair		Togetherness!		Recycling ink cartridges		Recycling cell phones

Animal Ministry

Responsibilities: support the members of Redeemer by supporting the needs of all of God's creatures and honoring the bond between humans and animals.

View the Animal
Ministry page
for more information.

Parish Activities [ back to top ]

Coffee Hour

Responsibilities: work with another person to set up, clean up, and provide baked goods for coffee hour.


Coffee Hour		Thanksgiving Luncheon		Crossroads newsletter

Special Parish Activity Celebrations

Responsibilities: work as part of a team of volunteers to set-up, serve food, and clean-up for a parish special celebration (such as Pentecost Strawberry Shortcake Coffee Hour, Parish Picnic, Thanksgiving Luncheon, Advent Evensong Reception). Work with the rest of the congregation to provide food.

Crossroads

Responsibilities: help edit or write articles for "Crossroads," the parish newsletter.

Buildings & Grounds [ back to top ]

Parish Work Day

Responsibilities: help complete various work projects at the church and parish house, everything from cleaning and polishing pews to painting or working on the church grounds.

Memorial Garden (Human)*

Responsibilities: help maintain the Memorial Garden.

* The Animal Memorial Garden is maintained by the Animal Ministry Team.


Parish Picnic		Animal Ministry		Parish Work Day

Parish Facilities Team

Responsibilities: work with the Vestry representatives to respond to building needs. Plan projects and oversee completion.

Handy Woman/Man

Responsibilities: specific handy person services such as painting, carpentry, grounds work, simple plumbing repair, etc.

Grant Writing

Responsibilities: help locate and write grants to either support a specific ministry/program or to maintain/repair buildings; must consult with Rector before pursuing grant.


Handy People!		Memorial Garden		Parish Work Day

New Members [ back to top ]

New Member Buddy Team

help new members to get connected and stay connected to their new church family. New member buddies are assigned to specific new members and are expected to answer questions, introduce them to other members and help facilitate their joining the ministries and/or small groups of their choice. New member buddies may also be called upon to assist at New Member Welcoming coffee hours and luncheons.