The Falls Church Anglican Worship Ministry is a community of WORSHIP VOLUNTEERS WHO SEEK TO GLORIFY GOD AND LEAD GOD’S PEOPLE IN JOYFUL, REVERENT, AND SINCERE WORSHIP.
+ Community
We don’t want to settle for just showing up to go through the motions while experiencing little to no meaningful connection with those we are serving alongside. Our Worship Volunteer community is first and foremost a community of love. Love provides the foundation and framework for how we think about and pursue ministry together. To foster this community, worship volunteers are encouraged to make every effort to participate in the opportunities we have to gather together. Each volunteer team has a different rhythm of ministry and fellowship, but all worship volunteers are invited to gather together a few times a year for fellowship, instruction, and encouragement. The more relational face-time we have with one another, the more connected we will feel when we gather to worship.
+ Worship Volunteers
Though worship consists of far more than what happens in the context of a Sunday service, our corporate worship is a gift from the Lord and provides a context in which believers can express their faith, stand in solidarity with one another, and experience the presence of God in a special way. What specifically unites this particular group of believers is our desire to support the corporate worship of God’s people at The Falls Church Anglican.
+ Glorify God
Our “chief end”, as the Westminster Catechism says, is to “glorify God and enjoy him forever.” So we are a community of people who pursue God’s glory above all other things. We have each, personally, placed our trust in God and the saving work of his Son, and we heed Christ’s command to “Love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30).
+ Lead God's People
As an expression of our love for God, we also seek to love our neighbor, which includes God’s people when we gather. Leading the church in worship is an expression of love for them, and all of us who support our corporate worship gatherings contribute in our own way to creating a space and context in which God’s people might “lay aside every weight” (Hebrews 12:1) and join their hearts with all God’s people in joyful, reverent, and sincere worship.
+ Joyful, Reverent and Sincere Worship
Paul said to the believers in Galatia, when they had fallen under the burden of a false gospel, “what happened to all your joy?” (Galatians 4:15). Our lives as believers should be marked by joy in response to our salvation. This doesn’t mean that we ignore pain or heartache, but that we can face these under the shadow of a God who cares for us and fights for us, and who will ultimately make all things new. Christian joy is most powerful when it is experienced in the midst of hardship, and this joy is meant to be expressed in our worship. So the Psalmist says, “Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.” (Psalm 95:1)
Christian joy is not shallow or fickle. It is rooted in a personal experience of the Lord who is awesome and holy. Our worship is to be anything but trite. Psalm 95 continues with another invitation to worship: “Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker” (v. 6). So we to respond to the Lord in reverent worship. As we seek to experience the presence of the God, we are mindful that his presence is holy, and that he may require something of us. We are reminded that we exist for God’s sake, not the other way around.
And yet, the reality of God’s holiness does not mean that we should hide or cower, because this holy God has made a way to dwell with and redeem a fallen people. Because of Christ’s death for us on the cross and because of his resurrection, we can now “approach God's throne of grace with confidence” (Hebrews 4:16). We are able to be ourselves in God’s presence, with all our baggage, without shrinking back. In other words, we can be sincere in our worship, not putting on a show or acting like something we’re not.
Our Values
+ Love
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God." (1 John 4:7)
Love is the character of God and the summary of all we are called to be and do. We seek to demonstrate love in every aspect of our ministry. In our actions and our speech we are for one another. Ask yourself: Do I appreciate and care for those I’m serving with?
+ Humility
"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." (Philippians 2:3)
We seek to elevate one another rather than ourselves. When each of us is operating this way, every member of the team is appreciated and honored, and none of us get the spotlight. The spotlight is reserved for the Lord! Ask yourself: Who am I really doing this for?
+ Excellence
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." (Romans 12:1)
To serve God with excellence simply means that we aren’t holding back, but giving all of ourselves to the task before us. So we devote time and effort to our ministry, and we are always seeking to grow in our gifts. Ask yourself: Am I holding back anything that God wants from me?
VOLUNTEERS
+ Musical Volunteers
If you are interested in the following opportunities, please contact Worship@tfcanglican.org
- Traditional Choir – Sings weekly at our 9 a.m. traditional service and rehearses weekly on Thursday evenings, as well as occasionally on Saturdays to prepare for special services. The traditional choir consists of those who have a heart for worship and some experience with music-reading.
- Contemporary Band – Members of the band demonstrate a heart for worship and proficiency in an instrument or in voice. Band members are usually scheduled once or twice a month.
- String Ensemble – Plays at the 9 am traditional service and rehearses every other Sunday morning. The String Ensemble consists of members of the congregation with a heart for worship and a proficiency on a string instrument. The ensemble plays once a month and for special services.
+ Audio/Video Volunteers
- Sound Operator – Sensitively mixes the worship band, choir, orchestra and soloists, and ensures the voices of the service leader and preacher can be heard at even, consistent volume and clarity. Assists musicians, sets out, tests, and puts away wireless and wired microphones, tablet controllers, cabling, and other audio equipment, before, during, and after the service.
- Graphics Operator – Executes timely display of text, graphics, leader cues, and prerecorded items, using ProPresenter, to enable congregational participation. Pre-checks prepared content to make sure all service elements are accurately included, and coordinates cues with video operator.
- Video/Camera Operator – Operates the remote cameras, video switcher, and/or tripod camera, ensuring consistent camera exposure and uniform color balance, to provide engaging views of the service to those joining our webcast. Incorporates graphics cues in coordination with graphics operator to ensure seamless delivery both in-room and out-of-room/online.
- Lighting Operator – Activates lighting settings and other presets at appropriate moments during services and events. Programs the lighting controller (“GrandMA”) for specific lighting cue needs as determined by the video operator.
+ Lay Liturgical Volunteers
- Acolytes – Students in grades 5-12, who help prepare for worship services. Acolytes light the candles, process the cross and assist with Communion as needed.
- Lay Eucharistic Ministers (LEMS) – Assist the clergy and vergers during services to help distribute Holy Communion.
- Lectors – Prepare and read our Scripture lessons for worship services.
- Altar Guild – Care for and set up the Holy Table before services, are responsible for the care and upkeep of linens, bowls, chalices, candles, Communion elements and other needs for all services.
- Flower Guild – Order, condition and arrange flowers for weekly and special services.
- Ushers – Greet parishioners, assist with seating, hand out leaflets and other materials as needed. Ushers are also responsible for collecting the offerings, providing guidance for Communion and other special services, reporting on attendance and general monitoring of congregational needs during a service.
CONTACT
Simon Dixon
Director of Music & Worship
Brian Gurney Director of Contemporary Worship & Worship Production
Anna Milograno Administrative Assistant
Andrew Schooley AVL Systems Engineer
Vesna Tift Worship Services Coordinator
Tyler Waters AVL & Worship Associate