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Every Sunday morning, the West U Methodist ushers greet folks coming to church, hand out bulletins, help find seats if assistance is needed, pass the collection plates, go up to the balcony to count how many people are at the service, pick up the congregation sign-in sheets at the end of the service, and do it all with a welcoming smile.
In the early years of the church, only men were asked to be ushers. They had a strict dress code of dark-colored suits and ties.
In 1977, Pastor Hooper Haygood asked Judye Perry to be an usher…the first woman in that position. The head usher was not thrilled about having female ushers, but thankfully he got over it! That first Sunday, Judye was petrified she would accidentally drop the collection plate resulting in a loud, disruptive noise when it hit the wooden pews. Thankfully, all went smoothly.
Judye is now the head usher and has been serving for 49 years! She remembers that in the early years, the women also had to follow the dress code and only wear dark colors. One church staff member assumed she was a widow because she was always wearing black! Nowadays, ushers just need to wear church-appropriate clothes…colors are allowed.
In addition to Judye, current ushers who have been serving for several decades include Kathy Gunner, Roberta Todd, and Mary Brisco. Newer to the position are Craig Nunez, Roy Coe, and Andrew Fuller. John Brewer recently retired after several years of usher duty.
As a special treat, when there is a fifth Sunday in a month (about four to five times a year), the church’s youth take over the ushering tasks of greeting people, handing out bulletins, and passing the collection plates.
On Boy and Girl Scout Sundays, scouts serve as the ushers.
When asked what she liked about being an usher, Judye replied, “Since I worked full-time on weekdays, it was something I could do to serve the church. It is also fun getting to know more people and welcoming visitors.”
Some other longtime ushers include Dee Folse, Jean Todd, and Bill Bevill. Thanks to all the ushers who have served West U Methodist over the past 90 years, many of whom were the first friendly faces that greeted us when we were new visitors to West U Methodist.
If being an usher sounds like something you might want to try, please reach out to Judye or the church office.
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