Service plan: the plan, the order and the roles
The form, date, place and leader of the service or gathering, an order of service with minutes for each part, and every role for the day with a named person.
For a first pass, the plan and the order of service are essential. The roles sheet becomes essential once more than a handful of people are coming (The service or gathering).
The plan
The facts of the service or gathering (The service or gathering). "Later" is an answer for the date.
Order of service
One row per part, in order, with minutes (The service or gathering). The total is the length of the service; check it against the time the place gives you.
Roles for the day
One row per role (The service or gathering), with a named person and whether they have said yes.
How to use these sheets
- The plan first. Form, date (or "later"), place and who leads. The order depends on the form.
- Minutes that add up. One row per part with its minutes; the total is the length of the service. Compare it with the time the place gives you.
- Every role with a name. A role without a person who has said yes is still open.
The example rows are from Sam Okoro's gathering at a lakeside park pavilion five weeks after Ellen's death: Sam welcomes people, Carol Peck reads a poem Ellen marked in a library book and keeps the guest book, Dev Raman runs the music, and Dev's brother Nikhil Raman stays at Ellen's house. Details are invented.
Religious content and order come from the family's clergy or community. This sheet holds the structure; the speakers write what they say.