Virtual Tour

We Welcome You:
Upon entering the church an Usher will greet you and give you a Service Bulletin. Inside the Church one's attention is immediately drawn to the Altar (representing God's presence) at the far end opposite the main entrance. Directly behind the Altar is an empty Cross (the symbol of the resurrected Christ) and candles representing Christ as the Light of the world. Thus the presence of God and Christ are the main foci of the church. These foci produce an atmosphere of quiet awe and reverence.

Before the Service:
You will notice that people do not talk before the service. Instead there is a quiet time during which we open our hearts and minds to God and ask God to enter. Just before the 10:15 service begins the Organist plays a Prelude. (Our 8:15 service does not have music.)
You will note that our services are printed in The Book of Common Prayer which gives unanimity among Episcopalians and Episcopal services. You will also find The Hymnal and a Service Music Card (SMC) in your pew. The Service Bulletin handed to you by the Usher contains the order of worship and indicates page numbers.
The 8:15 page numbers are printed on the front and the 10:15 service is printed on the back.

The Service Begins:
The service begins with the Opening Hymn. During this hymn the Acolytes, Choir and Clergy process into the Church and take their places. Next the Priest or worship leader announces the type of worship service that is about to take place and where it can be found in The Book of Common Prayer.

The Holy Eucharist:
The central service or the Central Act of Worship in the Episcopal Church is the Holy Eucharist or the Holy Communion as it is often called. The Holy Eucharist is divided into two parts: The Word of God and The Holy Communion.

The Word of God focuses on appointed readings for that day and usually contains a sermon or homily to give background and to engage your thoughts on these readings. Here at All Saints' the Priest encourages you to enter the readings with him. He invites you to think with him. The Priest or Rector as we call him does not preach from the pulpit. Instead he stands in the aisle to talk with us. In this way he encourages us to think and reflect upon our own life journey.

The Holy Communion re-enacts Jesus' Last Supper with his disciples. At that time he sat at a table with his disciples, took bread and wine, blessed the bread and wine, and gave it to his disciples as his Body and Blood. In the Episcopal Church we believe that Jesus makes himself present to us in the Bread and Wine. This presence gives us sustenance to go out into the world to serve him by loving all people as he loves us.

After church we hope you will join us for coffee hour after the service. We would like to greet you informally and have a chance to talk to you in more depth.

Symbolism Of and Story About the All Saints' Window

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