What to Expect When You Visit an Episcopal Church
Going to an Episcopal Church or any church at all for
the first time may feel a little strange and intimidating.
We want you to be able to relax and feel welcome and able
to participate as you choose. Here is a guide to some
of what you might expect if you go to a worship service
at an Episcopal Church.
Gathering (Getting there, getting settled, getting ready
for church)
Its good to arrive a few minutes before the service
so you can get yourself settled. There will probably be
ushers or greeters who will give you a bulletin/service
leaflet/ program which will guide you through the service.
Most churches have pews (long benches) or rows of chairs.
You can sit anywhere you would like. Sometimes new people
will sit in the back just to check things out. Those of
us who are short may like to sit nearer to the front so
we can see! In addition to the service leaflet there will
often be various books in racks in front of you or in
the pews. You will probably see red or black copies of
the Book of Common Prayer, sometimes called the Prayerbook
or the BCP. This book has various portions of the service
in it. Your bulletin will give you page numbers to find
those sections. You will also probably see a dark blue
book called The Hymnal 1982 which has lots
of music in it. Many churches have other supplemental
music books as well.
A few minutes before the service there will be some music
called the Prelude. It is meant to help us gather ourselves
and prepare for the service. Sometimes it is instrumental
and other times it is sung by everybody.
Most services start with a song that everyone sings while
standing. In many churches there will be a procession
of liturgical ministers, people who have specific jobs
to do during the service. Usually the procession is led
by the cross and you may see people bowing to the cross
as it passes by as a gesture of respect.
Once the song is over the presider (the priest leading
the service) and the assembly (everyone else) say the
Opening Acclamation which is a formal way of greeting
one another. Then there may be a short piece of music
praising God or asking for Gods mercy. (Music like
this which is a piece of the service is sometimes found
in the front of the Hymnal in a section where all the
number are preceded by S- which stands for
Service Music. The the presider will say a prayer
called a collect which is mean to collect us and our thoughts
together as the concluding piece of our gathering.
The Liturgy of the Word (Readings, sermon, statements
of faith, prayers of the community)
We all sit down to hear readings. Most of the time there
is a reading from the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament);
a psalm; a reading from the Christian Scriptures (New
Testament) and a reading from the Gospels. These readings
are part of a set lectionary which assigns
readings for every Sunday on a three year cycle. Members
of the assembly usually read the first two readings. The
psalm is normally said or sung by everyone. Your bulletin
will either have the psalm printed in it or tell you where
to find it in the Prayerbook or songbook.
Because the Gospel, the stories of Jesus life and
death, are central to our faith, that reading gets special
treatment. Normally an alleluia, or some song welcoming
the Gospel is sung and the Gospel book is brought into
the middle of the assembly and read by either a deacon
or a priest. Everyone stands for this reading and turns
and faces the Gospel Book.
Following the Gospel a sermon is preached, usually by
a priest (but on occasion it might be a lay person). The
sermon is meant to take what we have heard in the readings
and engage those learnings with our current lives.
After the sermon, the next several pieces of the service
provide a way for us to respond to what we have heard.
Because we are actively responding we stand up at this
point. We say the Nicene Creed, an ancient statement of
faith used by most Christian churches which binds us together
with Christians of all generations. We pray the Prayers
of the People. These prayers are a series of petitions
led by a member of the assembly with a response by the
entire assembly at the end of each one. The petitions
include prayers for the Church, the world, the nation,
those who are sick and those who have died. The presider
concludes these prayers with a collect, once again collecting
our prayers.
After the prayers during most of the year we say the
Confession (the confession is sometimes omitted during
very celebratory seasons of the year). The confession
is an opportunity to confess together the ways we have
not loved God or others. Sometimes people kneel for the
confession as a sign of their penitence. At the conclusion
of the confession, the presider says the absolution, words
reminding us that God forgives our sins.
The presider then bids The Peace. This can
be a particularly awkward moment for people who are newcomers
or visitors. What we are doing is ritually enacting our
need to be in right relationship with one another before
we go to communion. We do that by saying Peace be
with you to one another. People may shake hands
or embrace each other. You can greet the people right
around you. In some places the Peace is a little more
exuberant and people will actually leave their seats to
exchange the Peace with more people. We sometimes forget
the ritual we are enacting and devolve into more casual
greetings and other conversation because we are so glad
to see each other!
In many churches the Peace is followed by announcements.
This is not a formal part of the ritual but is a chance
to let people know what is going on in the community and
how to get involved.
The Liturgy of the Table (collecting gifts, getting
our meal ready and praying over it, sharing bread and
wine)
Offertory
A collection of money is taken at this point. Often a
piece of music is sung or played while the collection
is being taken. Our offerings symbolize both our bringing
of ourselves to worship and our support of the life of
the community. It is fine for you to put whatever amount
of money in or to put in nothing at all. (You may wonder
why so many people dont put anything in. There are
many reasons, of course, but one big one is that many
church members make their financial contributions in ways
other than putting it in the plate, i.e. through credit
card deductions, monthly checks, etc. ) The bread and
wine we will use for communion and the money that has
been collected are brought to the Altar Table and the
liturgical ministers set the Table for Communion.
Eucharistic Prayer
The presider prays an extended prayer. It starts with
a dialogue between the presider and assembly called the
Sursum Corda (literally lift up your hearts).
The presider then praises God for Gods action in
our lives. This initial section can in some cases be specific
to the season we are in. This selection concludes with
the Sanctus Holy, holy, holy, a response normally
sung by the entire assembly. The prayer continues with
a retelling of the story of the Last Supper and the presider
asking the Holy Spirit to come into the bread and wine
and into us. At the end of the prayer we all say Amen,
which our way of assenting to the prayer. We stand at
the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer. After the sanctus,
you may kneel or continue standing. Different communities
have different sensibilities around this; in some places
most people stand, in others, most people kneel. Either
one is totally fine.
At the end of the Eucharistic Prayer everyone prays the
Lords Prayer. Then the presider breaks a piece of
the bread, symbolizing Christs body being broken
for us. After this symbolic breaking, some more practical
preparations are made which might include pouring additional
chalices of wine, breaking the bread into pieces for distribution,
etc. Words, called the Fraction Anthem, are either spoken
or sung at this point that reflect the actions taking
place. Once the bread and wine are ready the presider
invites people to the meal.
Receiving Communion
People generally come forward and stand or kneel at the
altar to receive communion. Most places have ushers to
help guide you; if there are no ushers, this is a good
time to watch what others are doing and follow their example.
The official policy of the Episcopal Church is that all
baptized people may receive communion. Many churches have
broadened that policy to invite anyone who is seeking
God to receive.
If you dont want to receive communion that is totally
fine. You can remain in your seat, or you can also come
forward and cross your arms over your chest. The priest
will offer you a blessing instead of communion.
If you do want to receive, hold out your hands and the
priest will put a piece of bread in your hand. Then another
liturgical minister will come with the cup of wine (and
it is wine!). There are few choices here. You can eat
the bread when it is put in your hand and then take a
sip of wine from the cup. It is okay and actually helpful
for you to touch the cup and help guide it to your mouth.
If you dont want to drink from the cup you can also
leave the bread in your hand and the person with the cup
will dip the bread in the wine and then place it in your
mouth. It is also totally fine to receive only the bread
or only the wine; either is considered a full receiving
of communion. There are many reasons people might want
to receive only one so dont feel self-conscious
about that. Once you have received, simply return to your
seat. Often music is sung during or near the end of communion.
After Communion (giving thanks, being sent forth)
After everyone had received communion we all stand and
say a prayer which your service leaflet will either have
printed or tell you where to find it. The priest then
asks God to bless us. Another song is usually sung by
everyone at this point during which the liturgical ministers
may process out. At the very end we are dismissed by a
deacon or priest, sent out into the world.
Often there is an instrumental postlude played. It is
fine to stand up and leave your seat at this point or
you may want to remain and listen to the music. Once the
service is concluded people can spend some time talking
with each other. Often there is coffee to be enjoyed!
People leaving customarily greet the priest at the door
and you might want to introduce yourself as a newcomer.
Every church is a little different, but this reflects
what happens in the majority of churches. We hope you
will feel comfortable enough to try it out.
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