Saint Monica’s Acolyte Program offers all parishioners the opportunity to participate in our services from a unique perspective. The term acolyte comes from the Greek word akolouthos, meaning “follower” or “attendant”. Acolytes continue the traditions of the Church by participating in processions as Crucifers, Torch and Flag-bearers, lighting and extinguishing candles, and assisting the priest in preparing for the Eucharist.

---

Altar Guilds are groups of people in the Episcopal Church who take care of the altar. Until the 19th century, The Episcopal Church did not formally recognize Altar Guilds. Before then, only clergy members were permitted to care for the altar. By the 19th century, laymen and eventually women were permitted to assist in this duty. Today, these groups are an important part of many churches and help keep the altar looking nice and clean. They follow the guidelines set in the Book of Common Prayer and Book of Occasional Services.

Duties

Eucharist

• Putting out the necessary vessels: wine, water, chalices
• Placing the communion wafers and the priest’s wafer on the paten
• Assembling the Eucharistic ensemble
• After the service, collecting all the vessels, linens, candles, and other items and returning them to the sacristy.

Linens

• Placing the appropriate linens on the altar
• Placing linens on the credence table
• Putting corporals on the altar
• Laundering used linens

Additional Responsibilities

• Placing the candles on the altar
• Refilling the candles
• Ordering supplies as needed
• Light housekeeping of the sanctuary and sacristy

To learn more, visit the National Altar Guild Association

---

Choir

The Flower Guild is a group within the church that aims to make the worship experience more beautiful by bringing in colorful flowers and plants. However, you don’t need to have any special training to join this group, just an appreciation for the beauty of nature and an interest in floral design.

These volunteers are a small group of talented people who arrange flowers beautifully for our church every week as well as events like weddings and funerals. Additionally, they provide greenery for our annual “Hanging of the Greens” at Christmas. They recieve special training to improve their skills and sometimes organize workshops for the community. If you want more information about this group, contact Beth Woods, the president of the Flower Guild.

Membership

Women of all ages may join Daughters of the King, and the diversity of different age groups strengthens and enriches chapters. Younger women benefit when they have mentors with more experience in their faith journey, and in comparison, older women can benefit from the enthusiasm and fresh perspective of the younger generation. Some senior groups help pass on their knowledge and support the younger generation by sponsoring a youth group in their church.

Junior Daughters of the King

St. Monica’s is the first church in the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast to have a Junior Chapter of Daughters of the King. Junior Daughters of the King provides girls and young women the opportunity to grow in their love and knowledge of Jesus Christ while serving their church and community. They are an integral part of our Order and we pray that they continue the mission of the order by transitioning to senior Daughters.

About the Christian orders

A Christian order is a group of people who live together and follow a set of religious rules. The Daughters of the King are one such order, and they consider themselves a group of people who follow these rules rather than an organization. The group is mainly located in local chapters in the United States but has members worldwide.

Who should join?

Before joining, women must show a genuine interest, and commit to three months of learning. Once ready, they must promise to follow two vital rules: one related to praying and another concerning assisting others.

Prayer, Service, and Evangelism

Reaffirming the promises made at Baptism and Confirmation, a Daughter pledges herself to a life-long prayer, service, and evangelism program. She receives support in this commitment from a worldwide community of like-minded women.

In solidarity with one another, all Daughters everywhere make the same promises upon their admission to The Order:

• Obey the two Rules of The Order: the Rule of Prayer and the Rule of Service.
• Offer loyal aid to our clergy and parish to spread Christ’s kingdom at all times.
• Wear faithfully the cross of The Order.
• Work for the purposes of The Order as God may give us the opportunity.

For more information on St. Monica’s Chapter of the Daughters of the King, Email Deanna Jones.

The Mission of The Order

The Mission of The Order is the extension of Christ’s Kingdom through Prayer, Service, and Evangelism.

The DoK Vision Statement

Empowered by the Holy Spirit, our vision as Daughters of the King is to know Jesus Christ, to make Him known to others, and to become reflections of God’s love throughout the world.

The Motto of The Order

For His Sake…
I am but one, but I am one.
I cannot do everything, but I can do something.
What I can do, I ought to do.
What I ought to do, by the grace of God I will do.
Lord, what will you have me do?

---

Other Ways to Serve at St. Monica’s

• Lay Eucharistic Ministers – Lay person licensed by the bishop to administer the consecrated elements of the eucharist.
• United Thank Offering – Twice a year these offerings are taken. A volunteer is needed to remind the congregation, collect, and be a liaison with the diocesan coordinator.
• We sponsor a Sunland patient who may have intellectual or severe physical challenges. We also give them holiday and birthday gifts. For many of these patients, this may be the only correspondence and gifts they receive.
• Pancake Supper – We celebrate our entry into the season of Lent with a Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday) Pancake Supper with bacon, sausage, and made-to-order pancakes Several folks are needed to make this happen.
• The call tree is a communications team used for special events or emergencies. The team is asked to notify or sign up volunteers for events at St. Monica’s.
• Coffee Hour Host – People are needed to prepare coffee and provide snacks after church and to clean up the coffee machine and tables afterward.
• Food preparation for receptions/funerals. A list of folks willing to prepare food when there is a funeral for a member or their immediate family
• Purchasing Agent – A volunteer is needed to purchase supplies, paper goods, and consumables for the church as needed.
• Sunshine Person – A volunteer is needed to send cards to members for birthdays, anniversaries, illnesses, etc.
• Decorating Committee – One volunteer is in charge of orchestrating decorations for seasonal and holiday occasions. The Flower Guild helps with ideas and actual decorating at the Hanging of the Greens and removing the same.
• Rice and Beans Ministry – Rice and bean packets are prepared by volunteers to give to those in need. They are distributed with a smile on the last Saturday of the month.
• Weekly Weeders – We need members who enjoy getting their hands dirty to volunteer to keep our flower beds and Memorial Garden weed-free.