If You Are New to the Episcopal Church

If You Are New to the Episcopal Church

If you are new to the Episcopal Church, one of the first things you may notice is that our liturgy, prayers, hymn's and preaching consistently draw our attention to God's love for us and for all creation. We believe that God delights in all people, and we seek to follow our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who taught us to serve others by being supportive and welcoming to everyone. Our doors are open to all visitors, and we encourage you never to be concerned that you will do something in the course of the service, or refrain from doing something, that will make you "stand out" as a newcomer. One of the many characteristics of the Episcopal Church is its inclusive nature, which gives rise to a variety of practices. You will notice that there are many places in the service where some stand and others kneel, or where some participate in an action such as making the sign of the cross or bowing the head, while others do not.

The basic elements of our service come from Holy Scripture, hymns and prayers that have been handed down through the centuries, as well as those that respond to the specifics of our time and location. Most Sundays the service includes Holy Communion. In the Episcopal Church, Holy Communion is open to all baptized Christians of any denomination. You are most cordially invited to come forward at the time of Communion, to extend your hands for the consecrated bread, which we believe to be, by the promises and action of God, the Body of Christ, and to receive a sip of the consecrated wine, which we believe to be, by the promises and actions of God, the Blood of Christ. An alternative method of receiving, for those who prefer not to sip the wine, is to allow the Chalice Bearer to dip the bread that you have retained on your palm into the wine and then place it on your extended tongue. It is likewise acceptable to refrain from receiving the wine completely. This desire is signified by crossing your arms across your chest after receiving the bread. If you wish to receive a blessing instead of taking Communion, please cross your arms over your chest as the priest comes to you with the bread.

We have no age restrictions for receiving Communion. The choice as to whether to include a very young baptized child in receiving Communion is left to the parents. The priests, however, will be glad to discuss this decision with you. If it is difficult for you or a member of your family to come forward at the time of Communion, please indicate that to the clergy so they can bring it back to where you are seated.

Our service also includes four readings from Holy Scripture and a sermon by one of our priests to aid in reflecting on those readings. The readings for each Sunday and for special services are specified by the three-year cycle of the Episcopal Lectionary. Beginning in Advent, 2007, the readings will come from the Revised Common Lectionary.

The outline of our services may be found in the Book of Common Prayer, which is the red book found in the pew racks in front of you. The hymns come, in most cases, from the hymnal, which is the blue book in the racks in front of you. The bulletin contains page numbers for both books as well as a print out of the Scriptures for the day and announcements and prayer requests.

Prayer requests may be given ahead of time in order to have them printed in the bulletin or may be written before the service in the white notebook that is provided for that purpose. It is located on the table to your left as you walk in. Those prayers will be read aloud in the service at the time of the Prayers of the People.

You will find the people of The Incarnation to be glad to be helpful. Please do not hesitate to ask anyone for direction or clarification, and please feel free to ask any questions of the priests. As we approach the time for the next visit of the Bishop of the Diocese, at which time the Sacrament of Confirmation or Reception from another Communion will be available, information about classes for those new to the Episcopal Church will be announced. Please let one of the priests know if you are interested in being a part of those. Every effort will be made to accommodate the schedules of those who are interested in the setting of the times and days for that instruction.

Holy Baptism, the rite of Christian initiation, is celebrated on Sunday mornings throughout the year when requested. Preparation for this for adults, or for the parents and godparents of children too young to speak for themselves, is by one of the priests. Please speak with one of them if you desire to be baptized.