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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 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, 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'' (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 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 undergown called a cassock (usually black) and a white,
gathered overgown 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 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, 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.
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Produced
by the Office of Communication
The Episcopal Church Center
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