At St. John, there are many opportunities to serve. Check out the information below and sign up to serve in a way that best suits you!

Acolyte

An Acolyte is typically a 6th – 8th grade confirmand/student that assists the Pastor during worship and religious services, but high school students are also welcome to participate. Volunteers will:

Arrive for worship 15 minutes before the service begins.
In the choir room, put on your robe and cross necklace. Take a moment to pray and reflect on your service.
2 minutes before the service, ignite the candlelighters, proceed to the alter and light the candles.
Be seated in the front pew and participate in worship service.
After the sermon, assist with the passing of the collection plates, by taking them from the alter and giving them to the ushers. Receive the collection plates in return, and deliver to the Pastor for praise and thanksgiving.
During Holy Communion preparation, receive the Body and Blood of Christ at the Communion Rail, then assist with collection of communion cups, distribution of grape juice.
After communion and final hymn, return to the choir room, retrieve candlelighters, use the snuffer bell to smother candles.

Altar Guild

The Altar Guild members serve in monthly teams, behind the scenes, to set the Altar for Communion (Early Service Teams) or wash and put away the Communion vessels after services (Late Service Teams). Volunteers will:

Work in the Altar Guild Room (left front of Main Sanctuary) which usually takes 10-15 minutes
Early Service Teams arrive at 7:30am
During Communion, replenish wafers and wine and pray for the communicants
Choose which service you wish to serve at (Early or Late) and the month
Obtain a substitute if you need one due to scheduling conflicts
Serve with experienced members and receive detailed instructions in advance of your serving
Visit the Altar Guild Room before or after any service to talk to our members or to see our handbook and photos

Assisting Minister

The Assisting Minister takes on the role of assisting minister as written in the liturgy used during the 11am service. The Assisting Minister serves in a 2 month rotation, serving approximately once every 2 months. Volunteers will:

Receive training from Pastor Mariola Bergquist
Provide scheduling conflicts to scheduler via email
Prepare for assigned Sunday by familiarizing with chanted/spoken sections of the liturgy
Prepare prayer petitions
On day of participation, be early and robed at the start of the service

Sunday School Helpers

Sunday School Helpers lead Sunday School lessons weekly from 9:30am –10:30am for children ages Pre-K through 5th grade. Volunteers will:

Get to know children and their families
Have fun teaching lessons about Jesus and the Bible
Show up at 9:00am on Sundays for fellowship and morning directions
Assist other Sunday School Helpers
Volunteer on a monthly or semester basis

Choir Singer

A Choir Singer attends Wednesday night choir practices and sings in the choir. Choir singers will:

Be available to practice on Wednesdays from 6:30pm to 7:40pm in the Sanctuary
Have the ability to sing on pitch
Attend the 11am Sunday service

Church Picnic Volunteer

Church Picnic Volunteers help at the annual church picnic event, usually held in the month of October. We need volunteers for:

Serve on Planning Committee
Help with ticket distribution
Prepare picnic area for guests
Set Up
Direct traffic into/out of picnic grounds
Operate Train
Cook/Grill/Food
Help with Bake-Off Coordination
Judge Fishing Contest
Organize Volleyball Game
Tear down of tables, etc.
Clean Up of picnic area
Drive the train
Take photographs of the event

Communion Server / Communion Assistant

Communion Servers and Communion Assistants help to distribute bread and wine during Holy Communion. Volunteers will:

Serve on Sunday mornings and at occasional weekday services
Show up when scheduled
Know the words to say:
Wine: “The Blood of Christ Shed For You”
Bread: “The Body of Christ Given For You”
Know the words to bless children who do not commune

Emergency Response Ministry Volunteer

Members of the Emergency Response Team are trained church volunteers that provide protection and assistance to the congregation of St. John in the case of any emergency. The Emergency Response Team consists of:

A Coordinator who is the main person in charge of the ministry
A Team Leader who is second in charge of the other team members
Command Center Monitors that man radios and surveillance monitors
Door Monitors that monitor entrances during all services and events
A Medical Leader who is the main point of contact for any medical emergency that arises
Rovers that provide extra coverage and patrol the church campus, interior and exterior.

Growing Hope Ministry

The Growing Hope ministry provides an opportunity for you to “Make Jesus Known” and share the gospel, through one-on-one mentoring, with families in our community.

Service Opportunities include:

Writing cards/notes of encouragement
Appointment reminder calls to clients
Bi-Monthly calls to families – dialog will be provided
Graphic design – newsletters/flyers
Special Projects Coordinator – monthly/holidays
Mentors for families in need
Back up Mentors when Mentors are unable to  deliver to their client
Back up logistics person – help load unload and  allocate products for families
On Call drivers – on occasion we many need to drop off boxes if the client cannot make it to the  distribution

Handbell Ringer

A Handbell Ringer attends practices on Thursday nights (not every week) and plays with the bell choir. Volunteers will:

Be available to practice on Thursdays from 7:00pm to 8:00pm
Have the ability to count.
Be able to play rhythmically and “on time”

Host Home for NALC Continental Youth Gathering

This NALC event will be held in July of 2024. We do not want expense to keep any youth away from joining us at this first-ever event! There is a potential that NALC students and adults from Canada will want to visit our church. Our goal is to provide host homes and alleviate some of the cost for those who want to attend but need financial help. Though this event is over a year away, we need to plan now and get a good idea of how many homes might be available within our St. John community. Making these arrangements now allows for pre-planning and advertising.

Please let us know if you will open your home June 30 – July 5, 2024.

New Member Sponsor

As a New Member Sponsor – part of the New Member Care Ministry – current members have the opportunity to assist new members as they grow in their relationship with God and to
welcome them to their new church family. Volunteers will:

Attend one or more new member classes to connect with a group of new members
Answer new member questions about St. John Lutheran church.
Introduce new members during Sunday gatherings.
Explain and invite new members to our church programs and activities.
Suggest opportunities for which new members can use their talents to serve.
Attend the service of induction with their new members.
Maintain close contact with new member as they grow in the church family.

Operation Christmas Child 2023

Operation Christmas Child is a way to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. OCC is a mission of Samaritan’s Purse. Volunteers can:

Pack a box and drop off at SJLC during Drop-off week
Donate money! Donations go to directly support the collecting, processing, shipping, and other project costs
November 13-20 – Assist with manning the church during the OCC Box Drop-Off times
November 20 – Load the cartons into a truck

SonShine Team (Greeter)

SonShine Team members provide a warm and welcoming environment for each and every guest and member attending St. John’s worship services. Volunteers will:

Greet all guests and members with an open door, welcoming smile and warm handshake
Direct all attendees needing assistance to find their destination by escorting them to that location
Provide information from the Info Desk (when scheduled) by becoming familiar with all StJLC personnel, activities, schedules, special events and building layout
Provide Visitor Packets to all first time visitors as they are identified
Be available to start 30 minutes prior to your assigned worship service
Pray that you will be a blessing to each person you greet by making them feel welcomed to worship our Lord at StJLC

Sunday Breakfast Team

The Sunday Breakfast Team makes sure the coffee is on and the food is ready in the
Family Life Center. Volunteers will:

Arrive at 7:45am to help prepare food and drink so it is ready by 8:45am.
Serve attendees until 11am
Clean up tables, serving area and kitchen at 11am
Work with other team members to plan timing, so that each person is able to attend worship
Pray that the food and fellowship will bless all who partake

Usher

Ushers provide a warm and welcoming environment for each and every guest and member and enable the Pastors to conduct an organized worship service. Volunteers will:

Be available to start 30 minutes prior to your assigned worship service
Greet and provide bulletins/information to all guests and members entering the Sanctuary
Direct all attendees needing assistance to find seating by escorting them to that location
At appropriate times, the ushers will collect Prayer Cards, collect Offerings, and usher attendees to the Altar for Communion
Count attendance in the Sanctuary, blast!, Narthex, and Nursery
Pray that you will be an instrument in making every worship service a blessing to all in attendance

Wild Game Dinner Volunteer

Wild Game Dinner Volunteers help at the annual charity event. This event is usually held on the last Saturday in April at the Kendall County Fairgrounds in Boerne. Volunteers will help with:

Planning
Promoting
Selling Sponsorships/Contacting Local Businesses
Coordinating Donations
Ticket sales
Raffle preparation
Event set up
Ticket collections
Grilling/Cooking
Serving
Event Clean up
Other duties as needed

We are also looking for two Donation Coordinators!

We will need a two person team to coordinate church members that are contacting potential donors and record information on confirmed donations. These two people must have basic experience with spreadsheets using Microsoft Excel. If you are interested in helping in this way, please contact Richard Wagner directly via email: [email protected].