Thank you for your service guide customization order
The following are some guidelines on how to make edits to our base service guide, so it can be customized to fit the services offered at your parish.
After we receive your order and account contact information, you will receive a plain text Google Doc of the base service guide for your jurisdiction. You will be able to make edits directly in this document. Review the text thoroughly, comparing it to how the same service is offered in your parish, and noting any differences. Look for things such as:
- Varying terminology. For example, does your clergy use Thee and Thy or You and Your? Do you use more Greek or Arabic terminology (“Dynamis!” or “With Strength!”)? Especially note the wording of sections such as The Lord’s Prayer, The Creed, Pre-Communion Prayers, etc.
- Additions or omissions: For example, does your parish sing the Beatitudes? Do you sing Psalm verses with the Antiphons?
- Order of service. For example, is the homily given after the Gospel or at the end of Divine Liturgy?
- Hymns. Think of things such as: Do you want to include the text of the apolytikion to your parish’s patron? Which version of the Cherubic Hymn do you sing? Do you want to include the text of your usual communion hymn, even though it may vary with the liturgical cycle?
Things to note. Please keep in mind that this service guide is meant for non-Orthodox guests. It is meant to provide some basic introduction, background, and understanding of Orthodox worship. It should be easy to follow, clear, and give explanations to things that may be unfamiliar. The goal is that your guest can follow as closely as possible what they actually hear and see in the service, and that they aren’t confused/distracted by reading about things that they cannot hear or see. Those things will come later. It is not primarily meant for existing parishioners, Orthodox visitors, altar servers, or clergy. As such, As such, this guide omits:
- Silent prayers (unless your priest says them audibly).
- Detailed descriptions of things happening in the altar that the laity cannot see (such as the Proskomedia).
- Instructions specifically between clergy.
Examples of typical customizations
These are all optional, and you may choose any number of them that you like. See more examples at our website (link):
Opening Page
This content should be fairly permanent information. It may include:
- Church name
- Priest name
- Church contact information (phone, address, email)
- Service times
- Website address
- Social media addresses
- A brief section welcoming guests and inviting them to coffee hour, or the like (see examples on the website (link))
Words being spoken-and heard-during the service. We understand that translations vary from parish to parish, even within the same jurisdiction. Terminology, hymn texts, Psalm verses, slight omissions, slight additions, and order service can all vary, so pay close attention to what’s being said at your parish, and note where it differs from the base service guide text. The idea is for your customized service guide to be as close as possible to being word-for-word what a guest will hear in the service itself. If you have general service books for your parish that are word-for-word (or close to it), that might be a good place to start for comparison.
Please note: The base guide omits silent prayers. However, if your priest typically says those prayers quietly yet audibly, you may want to include them.
A note somewhere towards the center of the guide directing the visitor to more information at the end of the booklet (see next section). For example, mid-way through you can include a note that says, “Interested in becoming Orthodox (or a church tour, or meeting the priest)? Turn to page 98”, or “For more information on _______, turn to page 100.” We can choose the place that makes the most sense, space-wise, or you can indicate where you’d like to add this.
Final pages. The content on the last few pages should be geared towards non-Orthodox visitors. The content here (as on the opening page) should be generally permanent information-don’t include seasonal book studies, and specific dates, for example. Instead, keep that information dynamic on your website, and direct guests there. Be sure that your words come across as warm, welcoming, and loving. Here are some options:
- Definitions of the terms “inquirer”, “catechumen”, and “catechism”.
- Invitations to inquirers to come to coffee hour, take a church tour, get a free book, ask questions, meet with the priest, watch a video, etc..
- Information on becoming a catechumen
- QR codes that link to pages on your website (or other helpful websites) with more detailed information such as contact forms, videos to watch, catechism details, seasonal classes, etc.
- An invitation to connect with the priest, other clergy, or layperson to have coffee or learn more.
- Church etiquette. Try to be mindful of the perception of first-time visitors who may never have been in any church, and feel out of place. Some guests are oblivious to “reading the room”, but others may be anxious about “doing the wrong thing”. Be gentle. A list of “don’ts” is not recommended, but rather something to balance a loving welcome for all to “come as they are” with no expectation, while still conveying the respect we have for God’s house.
Customization is not available for:
- Font sizes or styles in the body or headings of the guide.
- General booklet format, including:
- Bulleted lists
- Paragraph layouts (although these may vary a bit based on spacing)
- General order of sections (although we will ensure it matches the order of service you provide)
- The content in the gray “explainer” info boxes.
- Specific boxes can be omitted if they don’t apply to your church.
- We will ensure that the terminology used in the boxes matches the terminology in the section they are providing explanations for, according to your edits.
Please note: Explainer boxes are placed as near as possible to the section they provide an explanation for. After customizing your text, we may need to adjust the placement of some explainer boxes in order to make page spacing work.
To see a watermarked example of the text formats that we use, click below.