This page was written by AI. Any inaccuracies with Josh’s original email(s) are an error.
Josh is away from Monday 6 April through to and including Sunday 31 May 2025.
Easter marks the start of Josh’s 8th year at St Mary’s. The PCC have agreed a 6-week sabbatical, bookended by annual leave on either side. This page is your one-stop reference for everything you need while he’s away – keep it bookmarked.
The rota is strong, the tools are ready, and Josh trusts you fully. This is a season to carry what you’ve already built, together.
Three things to keep in mind:
- 🎸 The band setup is semi-permanent — pull out and push back each Sunday
- 🔄 Can’t make a Sunday? Sorting a swap is your responsibility
- 📂 Service plans and the termly playlist are all prepped — you just need to know where to look
What’s changing (and what isn’t)
📋 The Rota
For most people, nothing changes. Where tweaks are needed Josh will have discussed these before he left — mostly worship leaders and one or two tech slots.
📅 Your Availability
Log unavailability on ChurchSuite. But note: adding unavailability only messages Josh’s absent inbox — it won’t notify anyone actively, so also follow the swaps process below.
⛪ Services
Both AM and PM services are held in the Church throughout the sabbatical period.
🙌 Worship Culture
You already embody it. You’ve been doing this for years — in song and in tech. Nothing fundamental changes about who you are on a Sunday.
🎸 Band Setup & Pack Down
The band is now permanently set up. Each Sunday: pull everything out at the start of the 10:30 rehearsal, push it back and tuck away again at the end of the 18:30 service. It takes under 2 minutes to drag out.
Per instrument:
- 🎸 Bass — On and patched through the Drum Rise. No setup needed.
- 🎹 Keys — Set up with a black dust cover. DI box is strapped to the stand (height adjustable). IEM mixer is attached to a separate tablet stand.
- 🎤 Vox Mics — Mics and IEM mixers are attached and bundled per mic stand. Headphone adapters and extenders can stay plugged into IEM mixers — just coil and tuck them onto the mic or tablet stand.
- 🎸 Guitars — Acoustic and Electric both use the 2 DI boxes behind the bass head.
- 🎙️ Instrument Mic — In the tech cupboard behind the rood screen. It’s delicate — get it out and put it away each time. The XLR is attached to your IEM/tablet stand. A video guide will be posted in the Inst + Sound WhatsApp groups.
Tips for a smooth setup:
- Move keys first — to the front for key-led worship, back row if guitar leading. Then tablet stands, then guitar DI boxes, then mic stands last.
- IEM mixers can swap between mic stands and tablet stands — but put them back where you found them so the next person has them where they’d expect.
- Spare ethernet cables are in the black wheeler boxes behind the rood screen.
- Pack down in reverse order — this prevents cables getting tangled.
- A printed map of where everything goes is on the drum riser.
🔄 Can’t Make It? Sorting a Swap
If you find out — on Tuesday, Wednesday, or even Saturday — that you can’t play that Sunday, it’s your responsibility to sort the swap.
🎵 Musicians
- Post in the relevant WhatsApp group — include the date and service time.
- Message the worship leader for that week: let them know who you’ve swapped with, or if you’ve not been able to find cover in the team.
- Bonus points: update ChurchSuite officially too.
💻 Techies
- Post in the relevant WhatsApp group — include the date and service time.
- Message the worship leader so they know who to expect.
- If you can’t find a swap, contact Ben Forbes — he’s already in the Sound and Visuals groups, just @ him. He’ll make other arrangements.
Heads up: If you go to a worship leader saying you can’t make it, they’ll just send you back to WhatsApp – so go there first!
📂 Service Plans & Chords
🔖 Service Plans
All service plans are created and saved in the Chrome bookmarks. Check there first – they’re ready to go.
🎼 Chords
If the worship leader hasn’t sent a chord email, find them via your MyChurchSuite account. There’s a support guide in the bookmarks showing how.
📄 Tech Documents
AV and tech reference documents are available on the AV splash page. These cover common issues and setup guidance for every role.
🎧 Termly Playlist
Around 20 songs for the term. The vast majority of what gets picked on any given Sunday will come from this list – get them on your fingers and in your ears.
- Spotify playlist: Open playlist →
- Chord sheets: Find chords →
Note: keys shown are Josh’s preferred keys — other worship leaders may transpose down a couple of semitones.
🆘 Where Do I Go When Something Goes Wrong?
Work through these steps in order. This isn’t about more work — it’s about adapting how you already do your gift.
- Try to troubleshoot it yourself. You are the fount of knowledge for your role. Give it a go — this is your season to grow into that confidence.
- Check the tech documents. Reference documents are on the AV splash page — common technical issues and setup guidance for every role.
- Ask the team on WhatsApp. Post the problem in the relevant role group. Someone will likely know. And if you spot someone struggling at a service – offer to go and stand with them. Having someone present in an issue is often enough.
- Contact the Service Leader. Service leaders have been briefed and trained for troubleshooting. They’re your last-resort backstop for in-service queries.
- Contact Clergy – last resort. If you’re genuinely unsure where to go: message a member of the staff team. Richard in the first instance, or Ben or Simon or Emily if you can’t get through.
💬 WhatsApp Groups
There are role-specific groups — Sound, Visuals, Instrumentalists, Keys, and more — all housed in the Worship Team community. Join ad hoc as you need to.
Use them for swaps, troubleshooting, and building shared knowledge between the team over time. Things like:
- “Check out this bass solo at 1:24!”
- “Patch 02 on the Nord worked really well for this song”
- “That song transition was so helpful this morning”
Please just keep stepping into a Sunday as a Levite, ready to help lift the corner of the curtain with whatever your mode of transport is for the week and say to everyone – let’s enter into the mystery of God today.