One thing that is definitely not good manners is to go around injuring people around you. Remember, that being hit with a heavy metal pole hurts and although most people are gracious, you do need to take great care not to harm others. The best plan is to find yourself enough space to move and if you don’t find the necessary space to use your worship tools safely, then leave them alone.
When there is not much space, it is sometimes necessary to allow others to use the space rather than ourselves. This is not an excuse not to get up and moving, but a genuine expression of love for our neighbour to allow them preference.
It is not just space in terms of width that needs to be born in mind, but space in terms of height. Flags with long poles can easily catch the ceiling. Ceilings that are fairly low or lights that hang down from the ceiling can cause problems. Remember that when you take flags to an unfamiliar building, that one reason why they may be discouraged could be the sheer practical difficulty of using them.
Take time to learn how to use these things properly. Use them as part of your worship at home as well as church. Watch how others use them and learn from them.
Ask permission before you use something that belongs to someone else. Sometimes, people leave their things out and give general permission for others to use them, whether they are in the meeting or not. They deliberately bring a lot more flags to a meeting than they could ever use themselves so that others can learn more about using them. Other times, people are wary of letting others use things. Make sure that when you ask them if you can use their things that you don’t do it in such a way that they feel forced to agree. Give them the opportunity to say no gracefully and without feeling guilty.
Worship tools need to be stored carefully. They can take a lot of time to make or cost a lot of money to buy, so look after them. Flags are best stored rolled up and placed in a cloth bag or even a cardboard tube. Sometimes, these bags can carried in such a way that they look like a quiver of arrows. Praise rings are best stored by being put on a hook on the wall as this stops the tassels and ribbons getting creased. Veils and streamers should be carefully folded to minimise creasing.