407 South Grove Avenue, Barrington, IL
847-381-1294

Scripture Readers

Thank you for agreeing to help lead our worship service by reading scripture to us. What follows are a few procedural notes on your participation in Sunday’s service.

Getting Ready

You will receive notice from the church office letting you know the passages from the Bible that you will be reading. This information may come to you via e-mail (if the church has an e-mail address for you) or by phone. You should receive this information no later than the Friday before the Sunday service. If you do not receive your Scripture passages by Friday, you may call Pastor Zina at home at 847-883-8881.

There are normally two passages in the service, one from the Old Testament and a second from the New Testament. Some services may depart from this practice, however.

Select a version of the Bible to use for your reading. As you know, the pew Bibles are the “Good News” version. If you would like to prepare an enlarged print version of the text, you may find various versions of the Bible at online websites. One such site is Bible Gateway. The versions are divided into language groups. The site’s location is http://www.biblegateway.com/versions.

Practice reading your passages aloud before you arrive on Sunday. This will help you feel more comfortable with the selections when you read them as part of the worship service.

Some readers prepare brief introductory comments about the passages they are reading, for example, an observation about where the passage fits in the Bible story. If you would like to offer this type of comment, feel free to do so but please remember to be brief.

 

On Sunday

Check the order of service when you arrive to verify both what you will be reading and when you will be reading. Normally the scripture reading occurs early in the service. At the end of the opening hymn that precedes the scriptural readings, walk to the lectern. Greet the congregation with a friendly, “Good morning.”

Tell them which passages you will be reading. If you are not reading from the pew Bible, tell them the version you will be using, e.g., Revised Standard, King James.

Be sure to tell them where the passages are found in the pew bible, including the page number. Give them a few seconds to find the passage. In general you will know when people have found the passage because the pages will cease to rustle.

If you are reading two passages, repeat the name and page number of the second passage before you begin the second reading.

When you finish, do not forget the responsive liturgy. Your part is “The word of God for the people of God.”

Remain at the lectern as the Gloria is sung, turning to face the cross as the choir and pastor do, then return to your seat.

Please speak up (even though we have a PA system) and annunciate clearly. Try not to read too fast. Make eye contact with the congregation occasionally if you can.

Again, many thanks for your participation in our worship service!