The Holiness and cleanliness of the Holy Altar and the sanctuary should be maintained at all times, before and after all services.
Small stands may be used on either side of the Altar to place the Euchologion, iPads & electronic tablets, microphones and handheld candles on.
Altar servers are not to be seated in the altar, but are to join the congregational chorus during readings, with one server holding a cross on the south side of the altar representing the Angel of the Sacrifice.
The lighting of the censer coal should not be lit from the candle on the altar.
Children or Adults not ordained yet cannot enter the sanctuary or vest.
The Age of ordination and elevation as well as criteria should be adhered to according to those established by the diocese at all times.
The altar servers whose turn is to serve inside the sanctuary must attend vespers, matins and of course the liturgy from the beginning.
Microphones in the sanctuary should have a stand and the altar servers are to come forward to say responses when it is their turn.
Church diaconate ranks are to have a rotating schedule for service in the sanctuary. The same group may alternate with church readings schedules on a different Sunday.
Sub-deacons are responsible for a group of readers and chanters during the altar service and when standing with the diaconate chorus. The number of groups should correspond to the number of sub-deacons. Sub-deacons should distribute responses prior to the start of liturgy. Altar servers and younger deacons should not stay on one side of the Altar or Chorus area unsupervised. Older deacons should supervise them and encourage them to pray during the liturgy.
Readings must be distributed up to one week or at least the day before the liturgy.
The reverend fathers should inform the congregation and strongly adhere to blessing the diaconate vestments once during the liturgy. Those who arrive late (up until the absolution of the servants) may be allowed to vest but will be forbidden from serving inside the sanctuary.
Regarding servers in the altar: Churches should implement 6 altar servers that comprise of 2 high school aged servers, 2 middle school aged servers and an older server and one younger server.
Depending on the size of the church, it is recommended that a collection box for prayer requests should be placed by the altar. At the start of the creed, the altar server responsible for the censer is to bring the box into the sanctuary.
An altar schedule should be implemented and messaged out in each church diaconate.
An altar server should differentiate, for the priest, between audible prayers for recently departed, 40-day commemorations and annual commemorations of the departed and inaudible prayers.
There is no skipping of deacon responses or litanies during the liturgy.
Deacons serving in the sanctuary must be responsible for the cleanliness of the altar.
Midnight praises need to be made more active and encouraged in churches.
Subcommittees will meet monthly.
Talking, unnecessary movement, and the use of cellular devices is absolutely forbidden during the entirety of the Holy Liturgy.
Hoodies or Hooded Sweatshirts are not to be worn by those who will be vesting in Tunics, neither are any accessories to be worn over the standard tunic & Batrashel.
The chorus leading the congregational hymns should be facing the East at all times while singing.
For those who are assigned a reading, they must do the following:
Be prepared and ready to read so not allow a delay between the readings.
First prostrate before the Altar.
Ask permission to read, take the blessing of the priest and greet his hand (After COVID-19?) no touching during COVID-19
Pray the reading loudly, slowly and clearly
After completion of the reading, kneel again in front of the Altar and take the blessing of the priest and greet his hand
After completion of the reading, prostrate in front of the Altar and take the blessing of the priest and greet his hand.
During praying the Agpeya, someone should be chosen to assign the Psalms to the deacons and congregation. The first and last psalms are assigned to the priest. Afterwards, the servant should confirm with the priest that the psalms have been distributed by telling him the first phrase in the last psalm.
