St. George's extends
a cordial welcome to
you to worship with us,
and offer this document
as a brief introduction
to the Episcopal Church
and its ways.
As you enter, you
will notice an
atmosphere of worship
and reverence. Your eye
is carried to the
altar, or holy table,
and to the cross. So
our thoughts are taken
at once to Christ and
to God whose house the
church is.
On or near the altar
there are candles to
remind us that Christ
is the "Light of the
World." Often there are
flowers, to beautify
God's house and to
recall the resurrection
of Jesus.
On one side at the
front of the church,
there is a lectern, or
stand, for the
proclamation of the
Word; here the
Scriptures are read.
The sermon is preached
from the pulpit on the
opposite side of the
church.
In the pews you will
find the Book of
Common Prayer, the
use of which enables
the congregation to
share fully in every
service. The large
print is the actual
service. The smaller
print gives directions
to ministers and people
for conduct of the
service.
You may wonder when
to stand or kneel.
Practices vary---even
among individual
Episcopalians. The
general rule is to
stand to sing---hymns
(found in the Hymnal in
the pews) and other
songs (many of them
from the Holy Bible)
called canticles
or chants and
printed as part of the
service. We stand, too,
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.
The principal
service is the Holy
Eucharist (Holy
Communion). In some
Episcopal churches it
is celebrated quite
simply, without music,
early on Sunday
morning. Weekday
celebrations also are
frequently without
music, and without
sermon. When celebrated
at a later hour on
Sundays, or on other
great Christian days
such as Christmas,
music and a sermon are
customary.
All baptized persons
are invited to receive
Holy Communion in the
Episcopal Church and
those who are not
baptized are invited to
receive a blessing at
the altar rail.
Another service is
Morning Prayer. The
parallel evening
service is Evening
Prayer. These services
consist of psalms,
Bible readings, and
prayers; and may
include a sermon. They
may be with or without
music.
While some parts of
the services are always
the same, others
change. At the Holy
Eucharist, for example,
two or three Bible
selections are read.
These change each
Sunday. So do the
psalms. Certain of the
prayers also change, in
order to provide
variety. Page numbers
for parts of the
service printed
elsewhere in the Book
are usually announced
or given in the service
leaflet. But do not be
embarrassed to ask your
neighbor for the page
number.
You will find the
services of the
Episcopal Church
beautiful in their
ordered dignity,
God-centered, and yet
mindful of the nature
and needs of human
beings.
It is the custom
upon entering church to
kneel in one's pew for
a prayer of personal
preparation for
worship. In many
churches it is also the
custom to bow to the
altar on entering and
leaving the church as
an act of reverence for
Christ.
Episcopalians do not
talk in church before a
service but use this
time for personal
meditation and
devotions. At the end
of the service some
persons kneel for a
private prayer before
leaving. Others
sometimes sit or stand
to listen to the organ
postlude.
To add to the beauty
and festivity of the
services, and to
signify their special
ministries, the clergy
and other ministers
wear vestments. Choir
vestments usually
consist of an undergown
called a cassock
(usually black) and a
white, gathered
overgown called a
surplice. The clergy
may also wear a cassock
and surplice.
Another familiar
vestment is the alb, a
white tunic with
sleeves that covers the
body from neck to
ankles. Over it (or
over the surplice)
ordained ministers wear
a stole, a narrow band
of colored fabric.
Deacons wear the stole
over one shoulder,
priests and bishops
over both shoulders.
At the Holy
Eucharist a bishop or
priest frequently wears
a chasuble (a circular
garment that envelopes
the body) over the alb
and stole. The deacon's
corresponding vestment
has sleeves and is
called a dalmatic.
Bishops sometimes wear
a special headcovering
called a mitre.
Stoles, chasubles,
and dalmatics, as well
as altar coverings, are
usually made of rich
fabrics. Their color
changes with the
seasons and holy days
of the Church Year. The
most frequently used
colors are white, red,
violet, green, and
sarum blue.
The Episcopal Church
observes the
traditional Christian
calendar. The season of
Advent,
during which we prepare
for Christmas, begins
on the Sunday closest
to November 30.
Christmas
itself lasts twelve
days, after which we
celebrate the
Feast of the Epiphany
(January 6).
Lent,
the forty days of
preparation for Easter,
begins on Ash
Wednesday.
Easter
season lasts fifty
days, concluding on the
feast of
Pentecost.
During these times
the Bible readings are
chosen for their
appropriateness to the
season. During the rest
of the year---the
season after Epiphany
and the long season
after Pentecost (except
for a few special
Sundays)---the New
Testament is read
sequentially from
Sunday to Sunday. The
Old Testament lesson
corresponds in theme
with one of the New
Testament readings.
If there are ushers
they will greet you,
and may escort you to a
pew. If you desire,
they will answer your
questions about the
service. Pews are
usually unreserved in
Episcopal churches.
Following the
service the pastor
greets the people as
they leave.
When you visit an
Episcopal church, you
will be our respected
and welcome guest. You
will not be singled out
in an embarrassing way,
nor asked to stand
before the congregation
nor to come forward.
You will worship God
with us.
We
invite you to join St.
George's community.
We're happy to answer
your questions.
Please let us know if
you would like to
become a member, if you
are interested in
baptism, or if you have
other pastoral
concerns.
Episcopal means having
bishops who are the
leaders of the church
and spiritual
descendants of the
apostles of Christ.
The Episcopal Church is
part of the world-wide
Anglican Communion
which includes those
churches derived from
the Church of England.