I bet you think the life of a St. Luke's usher is all glamour. Sure, ushers go to all of the Hollywood parties and eat at The Red Lobster, but there is another side to ushering.

It was several years ago now that Bruce Martenson approached me about ushering. Bruce was the Head Usher at the time and needed a new usher on his team. I was truly honored that he asked me but a little apprehensive about what the job involved (aside from the free hors d'oeuvres).

Bruce kindly took me aside and went through the job of ushering:

First, we greet people. Ushers are often the first person a parishioner sees when they come to a service at St. Luke's. We welcome young and old, big and small, life-long Episcopalians and first-time attendees. As an usher I want all people to feel welcome at St. Luke's. No matter what is going on in a person's life (job, family, bills, Bills), a person walking into St. Luke's should receive a warm greeting and feel welcomed into our parish community.

Next, ushers are problem solvers. One recent Sunday, the elevator was not working. Just before the service started, a woman confined to a wheelchair arrived with her companion. I showed them the ramp by the chapel and helped them navigate several doors. That same Sunday, our usher team helped the extended family of one of our newest parishioners connect with each other and find "priority seating" at the front of the church. There are other Sundays where one of our young parishioners may reach a certain state of boredom. We stand ready to provide the wonderfully calming St. Luke's children's tote bag.

Ushers also provide outreach to parishioners who are ill or injured. After the 10:00 AM service, ushers take the altar flowers to parishioners who were unable to attend service that week. The most excellent Kim Mann prepares cards with the names and addresses of those people receiving flowers that week. Sometimes I make a trip to W.C.A., other times I visit a nursing home or parishioner's residence. There is nothing like watching a person's face light up when they see the flowers from St. Luke's. Some medicine does not come from a pharmacy.

Usher's work one day per month. Team One, for example, works the first Saturday or Sunday per month. Usher teams consist of four or five people and everyone gets a deluxe nametag. I enjoy the camaraderie of ushering and look forward to seeing my teammates every month.

As I look back now, I feel blessed that Bruce introduced me to the world of ushering. If you are interested in becoming an usher, contact Rich Pinciaro, or any other usher. We welcome you with open arms and a deluxe name tag.

                                                                          ~ Tom Rankin, 1st week usher corps

Sunday, December 4, we'll be visited by Bishop Nicholas of Myra, patron saint of children and sailors.  His kindness to poor families in 4th century Turkey, and later miracles benefitting young people in distress, led to his second identity:  Santa Claus.

Our saintly visitor will be pleased to receive the gifts for our "Angel Tree" during the coffee hour after church that day.  By helping needy families, we'll be following in his footsteps. So please bring your unwrapped gifts, with their Angel tag (the whole thing) and perhaps some wrappings to donate, to church that day if you possibly can.

Note: The final deadline for those angelic gifts is Sunday, Dec. 11, since they'll be picked up by the Salvation Army on Dec. 12.

All the kids involved in the Christmas Pageant are invited to stay for lunch with Bishop Nicholas. Then we'll be having our first major PAGEANT REHEARSAL.  This is for everybody - singers, shepherds, extras. If you would like your child to participate in our show, which happens at 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve, then plan to join us for all the fun on Dec. 4! We'll be finished by about 2:00 p.m.