DOCENTS

DOCENTS

For many years, people have visited Emmanuel from all over the country – indeed, from all over the world. Our visitors come for a variety of reasons: to see the Tiffany artwork, to walk through the “tunnels” in the footsteps of George Washington and other American heroes; to see the passages that escaping enslaved people traveled in their flight to freedom; to hear our organ and other music; to stroll through our gardens. Our stories are shared by our devoted docent corps, who talk about our history and the remarkable people that have made Emmanuel the Church on the Hill that is today.

Our visitors are experiencing Emmanuel – “God with us.” Many of these guests have not visited with us previously, some are not church goers. Some return for a service or two, and a few have become active members.

We can’t operate our tours, especially on Heritage Days, which is a special celebration held each Fall in Cumberland to celebrate the City’s rich history, without volunteers. Our docents have learned our story via a handbook and by training with other docents. During Heritage Days, volunteers prepare and sell the famous strawberry shortcake and other goodies. They sell tickets to the tours; give directions to the food and restrooms; empty the trash; set up and break down tables; and tackle a host of other duties that pop up.

We are currently updating our tour reservation process are working on an update to the docent handbook. Soon, there will be docent training, and we hope to open our volunteer group to folks outside the Parish. Can we count on you? If you are interested in learning more about this ministry please call the office or send an email to the Parish Administrator at emmanuelparish03@gmail.com.