Many people feel apprehensive about attending
a new church for the first time. We know the feeling, since many of us are not
"cradle Episcopalians", but came to
Our mission is to spread the Good News of
Jesus Christ to our parish (
While we welcome worshippers from all over
town, we feel a special affinity for our mission field here in
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God.
It is central to our faith and worship. Readings from the Old Testament,
Psalms, Gospels, and Epistles form an important part of our worship every
Sunday.
We follow a liturgy - an orderly series of
prayers, Bible readings, hymns, and responsive readings. The priest delivers a
sermon, which is followed by the the highlight of worship: Holy Communion.
Communion is so important to us that we partake every week, and in fact
sometimes we refer to the entire worship service as "Holy Communion".
One thing you may find surprising is our use
of incense in worship. Besides being a biblical tradition that represents our
prayers rising in a pleasing aroma to God, it completes a worship experience
that engages all five senses. We see the cross, hear the word preached, touch
the bread, taste the wine, and smell the incense. All of these experiences help
set our worship apart as special and holy. "For from the rising of the sun
even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles;
and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name..." (Malachi
1:11)
You will also notice that people cross themselves
at certain times during worship. This is one of the most ancient practices of
the church and illustrates the importance of the cross to Christians. It serves
as a reminder that only through the sacrifice that Christ made for us on the
cross do we appear justified in God's eyes.
Because Holy Communion is the focus of our
worship, and Christ's sacrifice there takes the place of Old Testament
sacrifices in the temple, it is natural that we have a priest. Our priest,
sometimes called a rector, is affectionately referred to as "Father"
(sometimes abbreviated "Fr.") because we look to him for spiritual
counsel and advice in the same way a child looks to his natural father for
counsel and advice. In turn, he cares for us as a father, demonstrating God's
love for us.
Some churches revolve around the personality
of the pastor or minister. You will find that in an Episcopal church, Christ
and the altar are the focus. Our priest is there as a facilitator. We do have a
sermon on Sunday morning, but everything in worship points to and culminates in
Holy Communion.
Communion is freely offered to all baptized
Christians, from any branch of Christ's church.
We take Communion as Jesus and his disciples
did at the Last Supper, by sharing a common cup. After the priest blesses the
bread (wafers) and wine, we kneel at the communion rail, where we first receive
the wafer with cupped hands. We are free to either eat the wafer and then sip
from the cup, or by holding the wafer, we signal to the priest that we would
like him to dip the wafer into the wine for us.
Generally speaking, we sit to hear the Word
of God, stand to sing, and kneel to pray. In this way our whole bodies are
involved in worshipping God. Kneeling in prayer is an ancient gesture of
humility. If you have never before knelt to pray together with a group of
believers, you will find it to be a very moving experience. If kneeling would
be difficult for you for physical reasons, you are welcome to sit instead.
As you enter our church you will receive a
leaflet, a hymnal, and a Book of Common Prayer. The leaflet tells you the order
of worship, with the numbers of the hymns we will sing, and the page numbers we
will be reading from the prayer book.
The Book of Common Prayer does not take the
place of the Bible, but instead ensures that our worship is Biblical. The vast
majority of the prayer book is actually comprised of selections from the Bible,
arranged so that we are sure to read essential portions of scripture during the
course of the year. The prayer book also contains the text of prayers that
guide us as a congregation in thanksgiving, confession, worship, and praise to
God. The prayer book simply helps us worship in a meaningful and orderly way.
Note that the word "Common" as used here doesn't mean
"ordinary", but "shared". The Book of Common Prayer guides
us when we pray together as a body.
The Book of Common Prayer is the oldest
worship tradition in the English language. The prayer book was first written in
the 16th century when the English-speaking church ended the practice of worship
in Latin. There have been minor revisions over the years, but if anyone who is
familiar with our worship service of today could travel back in time and worship
in an Anglican church of 400 years ago, he would feel very much at home. This
commonality in worship ties us to English-speaking Christians throughout the
world and throughout time. Note that we use the 1928 Book of Common Prayer,
rather than the 1979 Book of Common Prayer used by the Episcopal Church
We will be happy to answer any other
questions you may have. Please feel free to contact
Father Houser (862-5188) or either of the wardens at any time or stop by
the church.