In our worship, we praise God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), share the good news of Christ Jesus, and support each other that we may love our neighbors throughout the week.
Services at Christ Church are liturgical, which is to say that our worship is carefully structured (following a set order, typically opening praise, Scripture readings, sermon, Creed, intercessory prayers, confession of sin, exchange of peace, celebration of Holy Eucharist, and closing praise) and we mostly follow pre-written texts rather than praying spontaneously.
We worship according to the 1979 Episcopal Book of Common Prayer; our services will seem fairly familiar to someone accustomed to other liturgical Christian worship (such as Roman Catholic, Lutheran, or Methodist) and less so to Christians from non-liturgical churches (most Baptist or non-denominational churches) or folks with little or no prior church experience.
Our bulletins include the text of the prayers (so that congregants need only open one book, the Hymnal 1982 containing the lyrics and music of our songs) as well as rubrics to help guide visitors through the physical postures of worship (we stand, sit, and kneel as we are able in different parts of the service).
Within the Episcopal Church, our worship style is comfortably Broad Church: we neither minimize nor maximize our vestments, we normally chant the Psalm and use Sanctus Bells but don't chant the Eucharist or use incense, and strive to offer reverent worship without ever becoming fussy.
Since the beginning of Covid, we have gone to one service each Sunday, at 10:30 am. Except on rare occasions of Morning Prayer, that service is Holy Eucharist, and we usually follow Rite II (you/your language) but sometimes (such as Lent) we follow Rite I (thee/thou). Occasionally (the first Sunday of most months), the service includes a rite for laying on of hands and anointing with oil for the purpose of healing.
A dynamic music program is instrumental in our worship, potentially including hymns sung by the congregation and accompanied on the organ, choral anthems and solos, chanted Psalms, and keyboard solos on the organ, piano, or harpsichord. Music in a more contemporary style and with different instruments is offered occasionally.
Please watch one of our services (available on our Facebook page) to get a better sense for our worship or to hear Fr. John's sermons.
