• The Readers participate in the MESSAGES part of the service

 

• Readers ASK if the person would like a message. 

  • A reader must be invited and not force themselves

  • “No means no” – for that reader.  It may be the person does not feel a particular affinity for you, but is waiting for another reader.

 

• Do not touch the person for whom you are reading – keep a respectful distance.

 

• Deliver messages that are constructive and / or helpful.  Even messages about difficult situations can be framed as “challenges”.  In those cases, try to also present solutions that you may have received, not your own ideas

 

The reader should avoid topics that are:

• exclusive 

identifies the only way to believe / behave

• divisive

 sets one group or class of people against another

• political

nothing about current or past politics

• sexual

no explicit or suggestive sexual material or comments

• frightening 

no predictions of death, disease, disaster, misfortune

• embarrassing    

sometimes a reader receives an extremely personal message for the individual.  In those cases, the reader should request to speak with the person after service; delivering the message privately while in full view of others.