What to expect if you come on a Sunday
Sundays at Trinity might feel a little different.
There are many different Christian churches, and each has a different feel in the worship service. Our worship is based on ancient and modern patterns of prayer, and might feel unfamiliar at first. This page should help set you at ease when you visit us.
Sunday is traditionally when Christians gather for worship. Our principal weekly worship service is the Holy Eucharist, also known as: the Lord’s Supper, the Divine Liturgy, Holy Communion, or Mass. Eucharist is simply the Greek word for 'thanksgiving'. [Learn more about Holy Eucharist]
There are many different Christian churches, and each has a different feel in the worship service. Our worship is based on ancient and modern patterns of prayer, and might feel unfamiliar at first. This page should help set you at ease when you visit us.
Sunday is traditionally when Christians gather for worship. Our principal weekly worship service is the Holy Eucharist, also known as: the Lord’s Supper, the Divine Liturgy, Holy Communion, or Mass. Eucharist is simply the Greek word for 'thanksgiving'. [Learn more about Holy Eucharist]
Worship Styles
Episcopalians worship in many different styles. You may find very structured, ancient, and multi-sensory rites with lots of singing, music, even incense on occasion, Other times, the liturgy is quite informal. Yet all worship in the Episcopal Church is based in the Book of Common Prayer, which gives our time together in worship a familiar feel, once you've tried it out a few times.
Liturgy and Ritual
Our worship style is said to be liturgical, meaning that the structure of our worship and the prayers that we pray doesn’t change greatly from week to week. This sameness from week to week gives worship a rhythm that can become comforting and familiar to the worshipers. Our liturgy often follows patterns that have been used in Christian worship for centuries, and in countless places. This gives rise to the understanding that we are one with Christians around the world and throughout the ages.
The first time you join us, you may find church with us to be a blessing, but at times a bit confusing. We sit, we stand, we kneel, we sing, we listen and we pray together. We go forward to the altar to receive Communion or a blessing. It can take a little while to "settle in" to these rhythms and patterns of worship, so give yourself permission simply to be present. God is with you.
If you have any questions at all, please contact us and ask!
Episcopalians worship in many different styles. You may find very structured, ancient, and multi-sensory rites with lots of singing, music, even incense on occasion, Other times, the liturgy is quite informal. Yet all worship in the Episcopal Church is based in the Book of Common Prayer, which gives our time together in worship a familiar feel, once you've tried it out a few times.
Liturgy and Ritual
Our worship style is said to be liturgical, meaning that the structure of our worship and the prayers that we pray doesn’t change greatly from week to week. This sameness from week to week gives worship a rhythm that can become comforting and familiar to the worshipers. Our liturgy often follows patterns that have been used in Christian worship for centuries, and in countless places. This gives rise to the understanding that we are one with Christians around the world and throughout the ages.
The first time you join us, you may find church with us to be a blessing, but at times a bit confusing. We sit, we stand, we kneel, we sing, we listen and we pray together. We go forward to the altar to receive Communion or a blessing. It can take a little while to "settle in" to these rhythms and patterns of worship, so give yourself permission simply to be present. God is with you.
If you have any questions at all, please contact us and ask!
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The 8 am Sunday Liturgy
The 5:30 Wednesday Liturgy The 8 am service is held in the Chapel, which is in the lower level of the Church Building. It's early in the morning, and that just suits some people, especially if you're an early riser, if you prefer a small, quiet service, or if perhaps you're hitting the road later in the day. The 5:30 pm service on Wednesdays is also in the chapel, and it feels much the same: intimate, yet always sacred. Come into the chapel, and you'll join anywhere from eight to fifteen other people. You can sit wherever you like. We pray with the small red Book of Common Prayer, found in the pew. The priest will announce the pages as we move through the service, to help you read along. You will find a sheet containing the Scripture readings for the morning on the small table at the back of the chapel. The Lector (reader) for the day will have prepared to read these lessons aloud for us to hear and think over together. The Deacon will read the Gospel aloud. The priest or the deacon will then preach, further explaining one of the lessons we have just heard. You are always welcome to join in, praying aloud at times with the congregation, or you can sit quietly and let the service of prayer and Scripture surround you with peace. The service lasts about 40 minutes. This service is a very much like the evening service on Wednesdays. You are most welcome to worship with us. Visitors have described this time together as peaceful, quietly joyful and with an atmosphere which imparts a feeling of being closer to God. |
The 10 am Liturgy (9 am in the summer)
This is our main worship service of the week. It takes place in the main worship space of the Church Building which we call the Nave. Again, feel free to sit wherever you like. Ushers at the back of the church will hand you a booklet which contains most of the words and music for the service. You will also receive a weekly insert that contains the readings, the hymns for the day, and the announcements. Feel free to sit where you like and ask your neighbors if you have questions. Hymns and service music are accompanied by the pipe organ. Except during the summer, the choir leads the congregation in song. The congregation takes part in the service: singing, listening to the lessons and the sermon, praying and responding to prayers. There is a lot of sitting and standing, and even a little kneeling. There is no right or wrong, we promise. At first, just follow the lead of those around you. For the first part of the service, we mostly listen to God's word in different ways. Sermons in our tradition are short, 8-12 minutes long. About halfway through the service we exchange the peace of Christ. People greet each other with a handshake or a hug. This is not the end of the service! It is an important part of worship, as we greet each other in peace and recognize the presence of God in each other. An offering is taken, but as a newcomer or a visitor, don't feel obligated to contribute. The Priest leads the Eucharistic Prayer over the bread and wine, and we receive communion. There's a separate page if you have questions about taking communion in our church. Finally, the dismissal sends us out into the world, though many of us head downstairs right after the liturgy for coffee. Join us! |
