What to Expect When You
Visit an Episcopal church
You'll Be Welcome
We extend a cordial welcome to you to worship with us, and offer this
document as a brief introduction to the Episcopal Church and some of its ways.
The Place of Worship
As you enter, you will notice an atmosphere of worship and reverence.
Episcopal churches are built in many architectural styles; but whether the
church be small or large, elaborate or plain, your eye is carried to the altar 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'' (John 8:12). 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 may be a lectern-pulpit, or
stand, for the proclamation of the Word; here the Scriptures are read and the
sermon is preached. In many churches, however, the lectern is separate from the
pulpit and stands on the opposite side of the church.
The Act of Worship
Episcopal church services are congregational. 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 Nicene 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 Regular Services
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.
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.
Before and After Services
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 to listen to the organ
postlude.
Vestments
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 under gown called a cassock (usually black) and
a white, gathered over gown called a surplice. The clergy may also wear 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 head covering 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, and green.
The Church Year
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.
Coming and Going
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.
You Will Not Be Embarrassed
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.
Should you wish to know more about the Episcopal Church or how one becomes an
Episcopalian, the pastor will gladly answer your questions and suggest the way
to membership.
Produced by the Office of Communication
The Episcopal Church Center
