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Worship
Worship is at the heart of all that we do here at St. John’s. It is our alpha and omega, the inspiration for all that we do and the ultimate goal of all we seek to accomplish. It is the act which defines and manifests the true identity of our community, the moment when we are visibly the Body of Christ gathered at the Lord’s table. That moment not only defines us but inspires us to carry on the Lord’s ministry, serving others in Christ’s name. That service in turn, calls us back to worship as we seek to offer prayers of thanksgiving for the blessings we have found in our ministry to others. It is this cycle of worship that differentiates Christian ministry from deeds of service. We do not simply seek to do things for people because we are trying to be dutiful, responsible and good. No, we are ministering to others because we are striving to become vessels and vehicles of God’s transforming love, continuing the holy work of the Incarnation by becoming the compassionate creatures God calls us to be.
Worship is at the heart of all that we do at St. John’s and we try to make it the very best we have to offer. Our worship life is governed by the Book of Common Prayer which is used for most of our services. At the family service, we use an Eucharistic prayer that has been adapted from Enriching our Worship, a collection of trial liturgies authorized for use in the Episcopal Church. We use the 1982 Hymnal and our pews also contain editions of the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible for reference and devotional reading. The style of our worship is neither “high” not “low” but falls into that rather ambiguous category of “broad” church. We are not terribly concerned with getting everything “just right,” but we try to make sure that what we do is done with forethought and accomplished with prayerful intention and all the dignity we can possibly muster.
St. John’s Church is fortunate to have so
many young children join us in worship each week.
With this in mind, we have created a special place
for them in front of the baptismal font. We have
added a large rug, soft pillows, baskets of books
and soft toys. Children and their families are
invited to sit in the space during the service if they
find it enriches their worship experience.
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