Welcome!  Sunday Service is at 10 am. It might be a good idea to come a bit early if this is your first visit, simply to navigate the building and give yourself time to have a time of quiet once you arrive for worship. Parking is available on the street in front of the church on 5th Avenue, and in the side parking lot on Sundays.

There are two entrances to the church. The main entrance, from 5th Avenue features large wooden doors. Directly inside, past the bell on display and through another set of doors, you will see our greeters.

If you have mobility challenges, you may prefer to enter from the King’s Hall entrance. This door is next to the main church doors and has a large cross-shaped window above it. You will enter into King’s Hall, our events area. Doors along the wall to your left will lead to our greeters, without having to climb stairs.

The greeters will be near the entry of the sanctuary. They will welcome you, provide you with a Sunday Service bulletin that lets you know the order of the service, and all the songs, readings and prayers. The greeters will also be happy to introduce you to a member of the congregation who can sit with you, if you would find that helpful. You can also choose to sit where you are most comfortable once inside the church. The greeters are also there to answer any questions you have during the service.

When you move into the church past the entry way you enter the part of the church where we worship. It is called the sanctuary, with an altar (holy table) at the front, and seating in the large open area called the nave. Sit where you feel most comfortable.

The service begins with the Gathering of the Community.  Announcements are shared, then a brief pause of silence, an opening hymn is sung, a prayer offer and then listening to the scriptures (bible readings) for the day. A sermon or reflection is given. The community then affirms it’s faith in a belief statement (creed, followed by prayers for the needs of the world and the community to God.  This first half of worship closes with the sharing of the Peace (greeting one another in God’s peace) and the offertory. We then move to the second half of the worship service to Communion/Holy Eucharist where we participate in  the holy meal of bread and wine Jesus gave his disciples and us.

Common prayer is an important part of how we worship together as Christians and as Anglicans. Our services draw from a tradition of set prayers in the Book of Alternative Services (BAS). This is the green book that will assist you in following along with the service and the prayers.  If that is helpful use the page numbers and guides offered in the bulletin. You can also as a new person simply listen, join in where you feel ready and open your self to how the worship feels for you and how the Spirit is speaking and present in the worship.

Our services follow the six seasons of the church year. Advent is the season set as preparations, the four weeks before Christmas. Christmas celebrates the birth of Christ and is 12 days concluding with Epiphany (the season of Light). Epiphany moves into the winter months until the next season of Lent. Lent is a season of preparing, penitence and walking the holy way with Jesus toward Jerusalem and the cross. It is the 40 days and ends on Palm Sunday which is beginning of Holy Week. Holy Week is the pinnacle season of the Christian year which marks Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, his week of teaching and the Great Three Days (Triudium): Maundy (Holy) Thursday where the last supper is celebrated with the washing of feet, Good Friday marking the journey to the cross, crucifixion and death of Jesus, Holy Saturday and the Easter Vigil, (a day of solemnity concluding with the first celebration of the resurrection Saturday evening) and Easter Sunday morning where the resurrection of Jesus is proclaimed and Alleluias offered. The Easter Season is 50 days of celebration, joy and hope that then leads to the feast of Pentacost. This feast celebrates the gift of the Holy Spirit to the church to carry on the work and ministry of Jesus in the world.

The prayers, bible readings, and order of service follow the cycle of these seasons.  We follow the Revised Common Lectionary for our scripture readings each Sunday.  This is a selection of 4 bible readings each Sunday that reflect the church seasonal day and themes.  It is a cycle of readings that is shared among Christian Churches globally – Roman Catholic, Reformed (United, Methodists, etc.), Anglican and others.

When you come to church, you’ll see that Anglican worship is enhanced by the presence of symbols. Our worship space has symbols of our two sacraments—an altar or table for the Eucharist and a font for baptism. Our church also has a cross, the symbol of Christ’s death and resurrection, and candles, which remind us of the light of Christ and the fire of the Holy Spirit.

Sunday services last about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

There is a time of fellowship following the service in the hall. Coffee, tea and visiting.  You are most welcome.

During the service, you may be asked to stand, sit or perhaps kneel to pray. Feel free to participate however you are able. You will also see that some people may stand for certain prayers while others may kneel, and  each are correct. Praying posture varies – we all come from different traditions and we accept that while we may pray a little differently from each other, we all pray to the same God. Let your heart be open and your body be an instrument to help you pray.  Generally we stand to sing, sit to listen, kneel or sit to confess, stand to pray/hear the Gospel reading/for the Eucharist. But none of these are “hard and fast” rules.  If sitting is best for you, please do what is right for you.

THE SERMON

During the service, someone gives a sermon, which is a talk, usually related to the bible reading in that day’s service.It may be a minister, a member of the congregation, or a guest who gives the sermon.

After the service, we gather in the hall for refreshments. We celebrate special occasions with a meal, like our Harvest 100 Mile potluck. Join us for coffee or tea, and spend some time in conversation. We would love to meet you and learn more about you.