
2 minute read
ALTAR GUILD
ALTAR GUILD CARRIES ON
by Peter Soper
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The Altar Guild meticulously prepares the sanctuary for Holy Communion, cares for the linens, orders the appropriate supplies, prepares communion vessels, and assists the priests before and after the services. Members also set-up for special holidays, baptisms, weddings, and funerals.
Now, the words “flexible” and “understanding” might not be the first words you would think of to describe the Altar Guild, but I can tell you at the Fig they are a perfect description. A year ago we were just gearing up for Easter 2020 when everything came to a halt. You’d think the Altar Guild would just enjoy a well deserved holiday, but the life of the church carries on.
Within weeks the clergy had come up with plans to provide pre-recorded services and the Altar Guild was right there. It was strange looking out at the empty pews. Even stranger was the ability to yell “cut!” and stop the service to redo a mistake. How I would love that power on a normal Sunday! The clergy and the Altar Guild had to come up with a way to reverently distribute the Blessed Sacrament to hundreds of people each month. They decided to commingle the bread and wine for distribution. Picture members of the Altar Guild bent over trays of communion wafers, using an eye dropper to patiently drop wine onto hundreds of little wafers to then be blessed. Later in Roper Hall AG members would carefully put those prepared wafers into little plastic bags and then into envelopes to be later delivered to homes. When the first outdoor services started, the Altar Guild had to move everything needed for the service outside. We had a whole new set of challenges to overcome with the wind, rain, temperature, birds, and don’t forget the planes flying overhead and the cars racing down the street. Each Sunday morning we had to bring out tables, chairs, and setup the outdoor altar for the service. The wind blew out our candles; the wind blew the altar book pages; the wind blew the linens; the wind blew everything! In a desperate attempt to keep things from blowing away our members collected rocks and crafted paper weights to keep everything secure.
The safety of the AG members was always kept paramount. The whole year we only had a skeleton crew since many folks did not feel comfortable, or it was not advisable for them to work around groups. New cleaning procedures had to be created, masking and social distancing guidelines had to be kept. With every challenge, the members of the Altar Guild came up with a solution and did it with a smile.
As we progress back to regular indoor services at the Fig, I encourage you to think about whether you might be able to serve in the Altar Guild. We’re a dedicated group of folks and we have a lot of fun in the process. We are excited about life returning to normal life at the Fig, but some of us are still waiting for a much-needed holiday! 15