First Time in an Episcopal Church? Here’s a quick breakdown:
Upon Entering
Upon entering, you may notice some people kneeling in their pew, praying in personal preparation for worship. Some will also bow to the altar upon entering and leaving the church as an act of reverence for Christ. Do what feels comfortable for you.
Our Worship Service
The principal service is the Holy Eucharist (Holy Communion). Our 8:00am service is celebrated without music, while our 10:00am service contains both music and a sermon.
Episcopal church services are congregational, and in the pews you will find the Book of Common Prayer, which enables the congregation to share fully in every service. In the Book of Common Prayer, the large print is the actual service, and the smaller print gives directions to ministers and people for conduct of the service. Page numbers for parts of the service printed elsewhere in the Book of Common Prayer are usually announced or given in the service leaflet. But do not be embarrassed to ask your neighbor for the page number.
The general rule for when to stand or kneel is to stand to sing, to say our affirmation of faith, the Creed, and for the reading of the Gospel in the Holy Eucharist. Psalms are sung or said sitting or standing. We sit during readings from the Old Testament or New Testament Letters, the sermon, and the choir anthems. We stand or kneel for prayer to show our gratefulness to God for accepting us as children or as an act of humility before God. Again, you should do whatever feels most comfortable to you.
The Book of Common Prayer
Unique to Anglicanism (of which the Episcopal Church is a part) is the Book of Common Prayer, the collection of worship services that all worshipers in the Anglican communion follow. It’s called “common prayer” because we all pray it together, around the world. The first Book of Common Prayer was compiled in English by Thomas Cranmer in the 16th Century, and since then has undergone many revisions for different times and places. The present prayer book for the Episcopal Church was published in 1979. But its original purpose has remained the same: To explain Christianity, describe the main beliefs of the Church, outline the requirements for the sacraments, and in general serve as the main guidelines of the Episcopal life.
Holy Communion
All are welcome to come forward to receive Communion, both the bread of heaven and the cup of salvation. You are invited to stand or kneel at the altar rail. There are various ways to receive Communion – the most common being that of receiving the bread in your hand, then placing the bread in your mouth; and receiving the wine by guiding the base of the chalice as you drink. Alternatively, you may receive the bread in your hand and wait to dip it into the chalice as it is offered.
After the Service
At the end of the service some people kneel for a private prayer before leaving. Others sometimes sit to listen to the organ postlude. The priest greets the people as they leave. Directly following the 10:00am service, we invite you to join us for Coffee Hour, a time of fellowship and refreshments in the Chambre Room in Edson Hall. Just follow the crowd around the side of the church!
Should you wish to know more about the Episcopal Church or about how to become an Episcopal, our priest, Father Ennis, will gladly answer your questions and suggest the way to membership.
