This may be your first visit to an Anglican
service or the first time you’ve set foot in
a church. You probably have lots of
questions, so we’ve tried to answer most of
them here.
We celebrate the Eucharist every Sunday
("Eucharist" means thanksgiving; it is
sometimes called "Communion" or the "Lord’s
Supper"). We strive to make worship real and
relevant, so the service regularly changes
depending on the season. Everyone in the
congregation, including children, is
encouraged to take part in the service.
As You Arrive
As you come through the entrance from the
parking lot, you’ll see a greeters’ table on
the other side of the screen.
At the 10:00am service, the greeter will
give you a weekly bulletin (with all the prayers, songs and notices
you will need for the service) and introduce
themselves. If you’d like
special prayers for yourself, or members of
your family or friends to be incorporated
into the service, please add the names to
the prayer sheet you will find on the table.
At the 8:30am service, please take a copy of the
weekly bulletin from the greeter's table.
If they're comfortable, most people wear
nametags. It helps everyone get to know each
other better. If you'd like, the greeters
can give you a nametag to wear. The washrooms
(including a wheelchair accessible one) are down the hall to
the left. Please feel free to leave the
service at any point, for this or any other
reason. We encourage
nursing mothers to stay in the worship space
throughout the service, if that feels
comfortable for them.
The nursery is at the
end of the same hall and is staffed for the
10:00 am service. We take children up to age
3 in the nursery beginning at 9:55 am. There
will be 3 people supervising the children — a
trained and experienced nursery caregiver,
plus two parish volunteers. If you’d prefer
to keep your child with you in church,
please do so.
Entering our Worship Space
The service takes place in the main
worship space. We do not pass a
collection plate during the service. If you
are a visitor for the first time, we are
happy for you to be our guest, but if you’d
like to make an offering to support our
work, please leave it in the basket at the
back of the worship space. Our worship space
changes shape on a regular basis. The chairs
may be arranged in a horseshoe, a square, or
a circle. There will always be a table
(altar) in a prominent place. Feel free to
sit anywhere you like. In a
lot of churches, people come in, find a
chair, and then kneel quietly. Because we
don’t have kneelers and the concrete floor
is not very comfortable, we usually stand or
sit during prayers.
We Gather
Terry greets us and explains any special
plans for the day. He then calls the
children forward for a "children's focus"
and they leave for children's church or back
to their parents/guardians prior to the opening hymn,
which is printed
in the
bulletin. If you’d like to
accompany your child and meet the teacher,
please do. The church school classrooms are
down the same hallway as the washrooms and
nursery. We then move on to the collect
(collecting our prayers for the day).
Our Story
Next a story is told about our origins,
through readings of the Hebrew text (Old
Testament), the psalm and the Christian text
(New Testament). Sometimes we will read
modern or secular texts instead. We stand to
sing an introduction to the Gospel and
remain standing while it is read to show our
willingness to carry the good news into the
world. The sermon follows. This is our
priest’s reflection on the readings or
themes for the day. It is intended to be
encouraging, educational and challenging.
Our Prayers
A worship leader will come forward to
lead us in the Prayers of the People, when
we remind ourselves of the needs of our
church, our world and those we care about.
Prayer is a way of hearing how God calls us
to respond. Then we "share the peace," which
is a public expression of forgiveness and
mutual service within the community. People
may hug or kiss each other, or more commonly
shake hands. We usually say “peace be with
you”, or simply “peace”. Please do whatever
you find most comfortable.
Thanksgiving
During the offertory hymn (10:00am
service), volunteers bring the bread and
wine and the financial offerings to the
table. This is a sign that we are offering
our lives and our assets in thanksgiving.
The servers prepare the table for communion
and the children return from kids church.
We begin the Eucharist by blessing the
bread and wine and offerings.
Following this
prayer of thanksgiving, we sing a
contemporary version of (10:00am service) or
say (8:30am service) the Lord’s Prayer.
Please pick your children up from
the nursery at this point (10:00am service).
Terry proceeds to break the bread and then
it is shared. Everyone is welcome to take
communion, regardless of religious
affiliation or age. We usually come forward
and stand around the table row by row. You simply put
your hand out to receive a piece of bread
and eat it. When the cup is offered, you may
guide it to your mouth with your hand and
take a sip. It is customary to say Amen after
receiving. Young children receive the bread and
wine as you see fit. Your child may
take a piece of bread or you may wish to
break off a piece of your own. If you
prefer, you may ask one of the priests to
bless your child.
During communion, the choir sings or leads a
selection of contemporary or traditional
music. The congregation is always welcome to
join in.
Our Mission
The prayer after communion reminds us of
our responsibility to ministry in the world.
At this point, one of our wardens offers
announcements. If you have a message you
wish to have announced, please speak with
the warden before the beginning of the
service. (10:00am service). We have a final hymn (10:00am service) and
then dismissal.
Afterwards
Please join us for coffee, tea, or juice
in the foyer by the fireplace (10:00
service). If you have not already met
Terry,
please introduce yourself.
