Q&A With Worship Servant Janet Okerman

Ever wonder who it is that makes each worship service at Saint Peter possible (in addition to Pastor Dave that is)? There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into a successful Sunday morning. Over the next few months, we will talk to volunteers on the Saint Peter Worship Servant Team, the Band and Choir and the Tech Team so that we can all get to know who leads us at worship.

Question - How long have you been a worship leader at Saint Peter?

Answer - My husband, Alan, and I have been serving in various roles shortly after we became members at Saint Peter in 1989.

Q - What roles do you fill on the Worship Servant Team?

A - I serve as lector and worship coordinator monthly; Alan and I serve as hosts and we count 1-2 times each month. Alan is Leadership Representative one to two times each month also.

Q - What do you enjoy most / get out of that work?

A - Serving as lector is my favorite role on the team, and I especially love serving communion. I try to make it very personal. When sharing the cup, I say the person's name. (I love when people wear name tags so I don't forget any names!) At a minimum, I try to make eye contact so the person knows that Christ's blood was shed "For Them" personally.

Q - Looking back, have there been any funny/inspiring/memorable moments in front of the congregation?

A - My most memorable times serving was with my son, Matt. He began acolyting when he was early elementary school and Barb Hinchey and I had to use masking tape to make the robe short enough. He and I served together until he was well into high school. That was really special.

Q - What is it about Saint Peter that you think makes it special? Why do you choose to worship here?

A - The people of Saint Peter are its strength. They really love, care and support one another. This is evidenced by the lengthy "Share the Peace" time!

Q - What kind of help/volunteers could the worship servant team use these days?

A - I assist the office staff by compiling the weekly and monthly schedules from the information provided by the worship servant coordinators, and I send out reminders, lessons and prayers to the other Worship Team members. This gives me good visibility to gaps in our schedule. Help is really needed across all roles from hosts to assisting ministers to counters. This is especially true when we have extra services like Christmas or Lent. I would say our biggest needs right now would be host families and acolytes. I think sometimes people are nervous or intimidated about serving, but I would encourage folks to step forward and just give it a try. It truly is a blessing (or I wouldn't be doing it almost 30 years later!), and we are a community of Grace, so don't feel intimidated.