For a Good Cause -- Herald Spies

* Story by Young Chang; photo by [tk]

If you’ve been to Christ Lutheran Church in Costa Mesa, you’ve

probably met Herald Spies.

He might have been one of the first faces you saw walking in. He might

have handed you a program and suggested to you a good seat.

The head usher at the church for somewhere between 20 and 30 years --

he’s not sure -- the Costa Mesa resident says he volunteers his time

every Sunday because “it’s the Lord’s work.”

“And it’s something I can do that I know how to do,” Spies said. “And

I’ve been doing it.”

His duties as an usher include greeting people, handing out what he

calls “bulletins,” directing people to seats (especially when it gets

crowded) and taking a head count of the number of people attending the

service.

During the service, he and his fellow ushers will collect the

offering, bring the baskets to the pastor so he can bless them and then

take them to a safe place.

After the service, the ushers straighten out the pews, and clean up

dropped programs and whatever else might be littering the floor. Spies is

on a rotation for the cleaning service, as the church has four services

every weekend.

The best part about serving his church is meeting new people, Spies

said.

“It’s harder, as the church gets larger, because you have so many new

people,” the usher said. “And some people, you never see because they go

to a different service.”

But when it comes to the congregants he does see, Spies said he is

always happy to see familiar, as well as new, faces.

The 73-year-old has even passed on the duty to his family. His son

ushers at the church and so does his grandson.

“I’m not one of the elders, I’m not one of the officials in the

church,” Spies said. “And I need to be doing something.”