Mt Riv 9am
Details + Distinctives

Thank you for leading our Gatherings. At Lower Mountains Anglican Parish we gather to proclaim Christ. So our ministries aim to seek, connect, grow and send people so that together we can serve God and others. 

The Seek > Connect > Grow > Send Framework also forms the backbone of our church gatherings.

1. Seek: We draw together under God as we prepare to hear His word

2. Connect: We hear the word of God

3. Grow: We respond to the word of God

4. Send: In a continuing response to God's word we are sent into the world

Your role is to prayerfully and intentionally plan the gathering (by 9am on Friday) and to ensure that it happens to plan (on Sunday). 

For every detail of planning a church gathering, we need to ask ourselves - Is this preparing us to hear Gods word, hearing Gods word, or responding to Gods word? This places God's word at the centre, but also ensures intentional preparation and response to God's word. Below are directions for a variety of regular Gathering elements including; how to use the Elvanto template, how to prepare for the Gathering, music and copyright, communion, terminology, and the DEADLINE.

Notes for preparing the gathering:

• If visuals are needed, add it to the plan before 9am Friday morning.

• Reorder the elements as you wish - to serve the purpose you are trying to achieve.

• If it's a special gathering (e.g. Easter, Christmas, Evangelistic) where we are primarily aiming to reach those we don't regularly see, then ensure that all the elements are externally oriented (therefore no 'in-house' elements, language, prayers etc.).

• Use expressions and language that you feel most comfortable with (bearing in mind the terminology).

• Be creative, have fun, don't be scared of trying different things.

• Go here for more help in Leading Church Gatherings

Once you have finished your plan, and you have a "Ready to go" item at the top of the plan, make sure you change the "No" to "Yes", to inform the office that everything is complete and ready to go.

Tip: Put yourself into the shoes of a newcomer – what would be helpful?

• Aim to arrive at 8:30am

• Check gathering box for special instructions or handouts.

• Foyer

  • Place Welcome Flags outside

  • Turn on lights

  • Open entrance doors 

  • Clean-up – remove any items on bench or tables that should not be there.

• Put air con on / heaters / fans on, (need the 2 front fans on slow just to circulate the air)

• UNLOCK the TOILETS, (keys are on the hook above the Kitchen sink)

• Tidy up any rubbish

• Straighten chairs in main hall (if required)

• Greeters

  • Ready handouts (in the gathering box). 

  • Have Welcome brochures and Welcome Afternoon Tea postcards ready
    
    Note: If the person is clearly a Newcomer it would be helpful to take some time to give some more direction (e.g. Bible, Toilets, introduce to/sit near a member in a similar demographic)
    
    

  • Record the names of any newcomers on the Newcomer Notes clipboard

• Seek out Newcomers after the gathering – invite to supper, introduce to other members.

• Head count – before the Bible talk:  

• Mark roll (by the end of gathering, but not during welcoming) - tick/add

Please put the completed Checklist and the Marked Roll back in the box for the office.

Go here for help in Leading Church Prayers, and here for how we pray at LMAP.

Question Time is a fun and helpful feature of our Mt Riv Gathering, but does not have to happen every week.

If there is Communion or a Mission Focus segment then the Question Time should be omitted.

If the gathering is running late (for whatever reason), the Gathering Leader should know that they can remove the Question Time. Questions can always be asked over Morning Tea.

Supplies

• A container containing the tea bags and the instant coffee is kept in the kitchen.

• Milk is supplied by the person who is on morning tea.

• Food for morning tea can be home made or pre-packaged. Enough for around 50 adults and 15 kids.

Pre-gathering

• Generally aim to arrive at 8:30am

• Set up two tables from foyer (outside if the weather is fine), one for tea/coffee, the other for food

• Fill urn and put on table outside, turn on

• Put coffee in plungers and place next to urn.

• Take mugs and tea/sugar tray outside.

• Prepare food and place on trolley.

Post-gathering

• During last song, add hot water to plungers and plunge

• Wheel trolley and milk out and arrange on table

• Take out cold water and plastic cups and place on food table

• Start dishwasher as per instruction page (see below)

• Once demand for food has diminished, collect mugs and take excess food back to kitchen

• Put mugs in dishwasher and wash up bowls/knives/etc by hand

• Wipe down tables and pack away

• Empty dishwasher and turn off

• Empty garbage bin and tidy up kitchen

• Take any used tea towels home for a wash and return next week

1. Turn on water tap on the floor on the right-hand side of the machine.

2. Turn on the power at the wall.

3. Ensure that the overflow cap is in place (grey cap on the ventilation tube on the bottom of the machine)

4. Push start button marked ‘A’ and then the appliance will start to fill with water.

5. Temperature light ‘B’ will come on when tank is full, and will go off when water has heated. This will take up to 5 minutes, so it would be good to start this process when you start to clean up, so the water will be ready to use when you have brought all the cups in.

6. Place the cups on the tray, and place the tray(s) inside the machine and close the door.

7. Wash cycle options are displayed beside button ‘F’. Push button ‘in’ for cups, and leave ‘out’ for plates, etc.

8. Push button ‘C’ to start the wash cycle, this will take about 1 minute. Light ‘D’ will come on and flash, then go out. Wait till the pump stops… no sound.

9. Open door and remove tray. If you have more cups or plates, you can reload the tray, place it back in the machine, and press wash cycle button ‘C’.

10. When complete, remove tray, and remove the drain cap in the grey ventilation tube on the bottom of the machine, then close door of dishwasher.

11. Turn off button ‘A’, and press drain button ‘E’, and the machine will empty. You will hear it pumping the water out, and when this cycle is complete, open the door to let the machine dry, replace drain plug, turn power off at the wall, and turn off water tap on the floor.

12. WARNING: Keep children away from dishwasher whilst in use as water temperature is 80 Degrees Celsius.

• After Gathering Tidy – give the Foyer a quick tidy (e.g. replace Bibles, clear up items left behind, recycle handouts)

• Bring back inside the Welcome Flags

• Close/lock Doors (incl Kitchen and toilets). Make sure front foyer door is locked from the outside (it should be able to be opened from the inside).

• Make sure covers on outside power points are locked.

• Turn off air conditioners/close windows, including checking the demountable.

• Make sure dishwasher is turned off at the wall.

• Turn off lights.

• Check the Wheelie bins,  if needed to be taken out wheel them up to the front.

• Feedback - Notes for Ministry Team/Office (e.g. is there anything we need to know – Newcomers names, something needs fixing, brochures running out etc.)