Volunteering as Members
As a cooperative community, we rely on our members to volunteer as a means of carrying out all necessary work to run Harmony. It takes about 22 volunteers to run a service each week. Here’s what’s involved when you sign up for one of those volunteer shifts:
Write/Deliver a Sermon
Type of Job: Public, Sundays only, Outside preparation required
Develops and delivers a 15-20 minute sermon on a topic of interest to our community. Prepares approximately 6 discussion questions for small group discussions following the sermon. Develops PowerPoint slides to be inserted into the Sunday service slide deck. Guidance will be provided by the worship director. Must be a Harmony member.
Music During Service
Type of Job: Public, Sundays only, Outside preparation required
Works with the music director to share musical talents during the Sunday service. These often include individual performances, duets, and group ensembles. All levels of talent are welcome. Could be a Harmony member or friend.
Greeter
Type of Job: Public, Sundays only, No outside preparation
Arrives 20 minutes early to stand by the door to welcome guests, hand out programs, and assist with sign-in and name tags. Must be a friendly “people person” and be aware of safety procedures. This is a good position for someone who is an extrovert and is also assertive enough to direct newcomers to wear name tags and sign in. Must be a Harmony member.
Group Discussion Leader
Type of Job: Public, Sundays only, No outside preparation
Helps form discussion groups after the sermon (especially in welcoming newcomers into the groups). Facilitates the discussion using the pre-written questions. Ideal candidate can help involve everyone in the discussion, gently discourage one person from “dominating,” and make more reserved people feel welcome to participate without putting them on the spot. Could be a Harmony member or friend.
Before Service Set Up
Type of Job: Behind the scenes, Sundays only, No outside preparation
Arrives before the service to set up chairs, tables, etc. See checklist of duties to be completed. This is a good position for someone who doesn’t enjoy the more public jobs and is able to arrive early. Could be a Harmony member or friend.
After Service Clean Up
Type of Job: Behind the scenes, Sundays only, No outside preparation
Stays after the service to clean up, empty the coffee pot, take out the garbage, etc. See checklist of duties to be completed. This would be considered light cleaning (wiping, vacuuming, etc). This is a good position for someone who doesn’t enjoy the more public jobs and is able to stay after the social hour. Could be a Harmony member or friend.
Social Hour Food
Type of Job: Behind the scenes, Sundays only, some outside preparation
Provides 3-4 dishes/snacks to share during Harmony’s social hour. Coordinates with other social hour food volunteer, who will also provide 3-4 dishes, to ensure a variety of food will be offered during social hour.
Children’s RE Lead Teacher (Background check required)
Type of Job: Public, Sundays only, Little outside preparation
Reviews pre-written lesson plan prior to Sunday morning. (All class materials will be provided by the Children’s RE Director.) Teaches RE class on Sunday mornings. Can choose from Seedlings (Preschool & Kindergarten), Apple (1st and 2nd grade), Oak (3rd through 5th grade), Sequoia (6th through 9th grade), or Outreach RE (Preschool through 9th grade multi-age outreach class). This is an ideal job for someone who loves working with children and who can handle a large class. You do not necessarily have to have a child in RE to teach. Could be a Harmony member or friend.
Children’s RE Helper (Background check required)
Type of Job: Behind the scenes, Sundays only, No outside preparation required
Attends a Children’s RE class and serve as a second adult in the room for safety and classroom management. This job is what you make of it—some helpers prefer to hang back and pitch in when needed; others like to get more involved and handle a part of the lesson, such as reading a story to the kids. If you are interested in teaching RE but want to get your feet wet first, this is a great job for you. You can also potentially split your time if you have kids in multiple classes (e.g. help in Seedlings twice and in Oak twice). You do not necessarily have to have a child in RE to be a helper. Could be a Harmony member or friend.
Nursery/Babysitter (Background check required)
Type of Job: Behind the scenes, Sundays only, No outside preparation required
Watches the smallest Harmony attendees in the nursery during the service. There are often only a couple of little ones and the job is pretty simple – play with the kids and the toys! Could be a Harmony member or friend.
Chimes Ringer
Type of Job: Public, Sundays only, No outside preparation
Walks down the center aisle ringing the chimes to signal the start of a Sunday service. This job is for our youngest Harmony members (Nursery and Seedlings-aged kids).
Chalice Lighter
Type of Job: Public, Sundays only, No outside preparation
Lights the chalice during the opening words at the beginning of a Sunday service. This job is for our slightly older Harmony children (Apple, Oak and Sequoia-aged kids).