June 1, 2023
Summer Worship Schedule: Begins June 11
Pending the South Carolina United Methodist Church Annual Conference next week, the Downtown Campus church will no longer be affiliated…
View All NewsStaff & Lay Leader Guidelines
At Buncombe Street UMC, it takes numerous committed Christians to guide and sustain our various ministries as we pursue God’s will for our congregation. We thank our staff and lay leaders for sharing their time and talents with our church, and we want to do whatever we can to make your jobs easier. We hope that the information on this page, which is essentially an FAQ about our processes, is helpful to you as you grow your areas of ministry.
How do I…
- …plan an event, including reserving a room, setup and publicity?
- …contact my committee members?
- …access the building?
- …put in a work order?
- …make sure my volunteers are Safe Sanctuary approved?
- …request funding from the Morgan Trust?
How do I plan an event, including setup and publicity?
To plan an event, including reserving space at the church, room setup, publicity, etc. use this form, which can be found on the Events page of the website. Once your request is approved, you will receive confirmation from “[email protected].”
- The specifics of promoting your event will be left up to the church Communications Coordinator. Please provide all the details needed to promote your event, and she will take it from there.
- For particularly complicated set-ups and for all events at the Trinity Campus, we suggest creating a separate work order so that our maintenance staff can plan ahead to make sure your needs are met.
- Church ministry events must be scheduled fourteen (14) days before any event in Sisk Hall or Drake Hall. To discourage events in Sisk Hall on Friday and Saturday, when the room is already set up for Sunday worship, Sisk Hall will be unavailable for scheduling via the Event Request form on those days. We do know that exceptions occur, however. If you are planning an event on one of the “blocked” days, please contact Wahid Dennis directly to discuss arrangements for your event.
- If you plan to use the kitchen to prepare for your event, please be sure to reserve that space as well to avoid conflicts with others who might need the space.
- Food, if served, should be cleaned up completely following the event.
How do I contact my committee members?
The best way to contact your committee members is by using Realm, our member database and church management system. As a group leader, you will be given the permissions you need to communicate with your group, take attendance at meetings, and upload resources for your committee. You can find additional information for group leaders by following the link below.
Although BSUMC would prefer that you commit to learning and using Realm for your communications and to keep track of attendance for your groups, it is not a requirement. Feel free to use your traditional forms of communication (Outlook, Gmail, etc.) and organization (Excel spreadsheets, etc.) if you do not wish to use Realm. If you are unable to communicate with your group directly, please find a committee member to communicate with your group on your behalf.
How do I access the building?
To protect the children in our Child Development Center, as well as our staff, all exterior doors to the church are now kept locked, and many of our interior doors are also locked as an additional precaution. All of these doors may be accessed using a key card, which can be obtained from the receptionist in the front office. If you are planning a meeting outside of normal business hours (9:00 AM -5:00 PM, Monday – Thursday, and 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM on Friday) please check out a card, designate one point of entry for your group, and plan to have someone in the lobby to let people in as they arrive. It also is a good idea to let your group members know what to do/who to contact if they are running late.
For large events, doors may be unlocked for a specific period of time upon request, but the requestor is responsible for making sure a volunteer is manning the doors at all times. Please include this information in your Event Request Form or contact Wahid Dennis with the exact times you need the doors unlocked.
More detailed Building Access Guidelines can be found here.
How do I put in a work order?
Work orders for both campuses should be submitted via online form. These are checked daily by our maintenance staff and are generally addressed quickly, but advance notice is appreciated when possible, especially for activities occurring on weekends.
How do I make sure my volunteers are Safe Sanctuary approved?
“Safe Sanctuary” refers to the policy adopted by the church to ensure a safe and nurturing environment not only for children, youth, and vulnerable adults, but for everyone who participates in our ministries. Any volunteer who works with vulnerable populations must be Safe Sanctuary Certified. To find out more about our Safe Sanctuary Policy, and to find out who to contact to make sure your volunteers are certified, please visit the Safe Sanctuary page of the website.
How do I request funding from the Morgan Trust?
The Morgan Trust Fund was established by sisters Martha Francis Morgan and Elizabeth Morgan. It provides annual funding for Christian speakers, lecturers, and educational opportunities supported by BSUMC. Ministry leaders in conjunction with a staff member may apply for funding by filling out the request form and submitting it to the Associate Pastor of Christian Education.
