Volley 7

ANOUNCEMENTS 101
Typical Sunday announcements at St. Wilbur in the Wildwood:
“I hope everyone will come to coffee hour after Eucharist in Wizzenheifer Hall.”
“All those youth interested in EYF, please meet with Mr. and Mrs. Hampton in the Narthex.”
“Training for new Acolytes will begin at the Chancel following the Postlude.”
“Don’t forget, we have meetings of EFM, ECW, Inquirers, and Vestry coming up this week.”

All of the above are perfectly informative—to anyone who already knows all about this congregation, its people, layout, and events. But what about those who are present for the first time, or who are relatively new in the congregation? What is Eucharist? Where is Wizzenheifer Hall? What do EYF, ECW, EFM, Inquirers, and Vestry mean? Am I invited? Who are the Hamptons? Where are the Narthex and the Chancel? Who is eligible for youth or acolyte groups? Announcements can be welcoming and inclusive, or they can serve to emphasize how uninformed and out-of-the-loop a newcomer is.
The perpetrators of these veiled statements may not be conscious at all of the hidden messages they contain. The result, however, is to keep the power of information in the hands of those who control communication in the group, and dole it out to those they choose to include. What is needed to break this unconscious screening process is mostly awareness of it, and the decision to welcome all who desire to be welcomed, and let the newcomer and the congregation discover one another.
I’m not sure announcements in church are useful in the first place. They seem to matter enormously to Wardens and Vestries, but my experience is that people don’t listen to them anyway, and if someone, clergy or lay, is allowed to drone on past the very low tolerance of the congregation, announcements can be an occasion for sin to the congregation, with the negative thoughts and comments they inspire. My personal preference would be to have a brief welcome and invitation announcement prior to worship, and expanded announcements at the coffee hour, where you reach the people who really want to know what is going on. They’ve been given in writing to everyone, after all. In any case, it behooves the one making announcements to remember: Be prepared. Be clear. Be brief. Be seated.