You'll Be Welcome
We extend a cordial welcome to you to worship with us, and offer the following as a brief introduction to the Episcopal Church and its ways.

The Place of Worship
As you enter, you will notice an atmosphere of worship and reverence. Your eye is carried to the altar and to the cross. So our thoughts are taken at once to Christ and to God whose house the church is.

Near the altar are candles to remind us that Christ is the "Light of the World" (John 8:12). Often there are flowers, to beautify God's house and to recall the resurrection of Jesus.

On the right side of the church as you look at the altar, there is a lectern-pulpit, or stand, for the proclamation of the Word; here the Scriptures are read and occasionally the sermon is preached.

The Act of Worship
Episcopal church services are congregational. In the pews you will find the Book of Common Prayer, the use of which enables the congregation to share fully in every service. At St. Stephen's, the entire service can usually be followed using a Service Leaflet handed out by our usher staff.

You may wonder when to stand or kneel. Practices vary - even among individual Episcopalians.

The general rule is to stand to sing - hymns (found in the Hymnal in the pews) and other songs (many of them from the Holy Bible) called canticles or chants and printed as part of the service. We stand too, to say our affirmation of faith, the Creed; and for the reading of the Gospel in the Holy Eucharist. Psalms are sung or said sitting or standing. We sit during readings from the Old Testament or New Testament Letters, the sermon, and choir anthems. We stand or kneel for prayer to show our gratefulness to God for accepting us as his children or as an act of humility before him.

The Regular Services
The principle service is the Holy Eucharist (Holy Communion). In some Episcopal churches it is celebrated quite simply, without music, early on Sunday morning. Weekday celebrations also are frequently without music, and without sermon. When celebrated at a later hour on Sundays, or on other great Christian days such as Christmas, music and a sermon are customary. You'll find each of these types of services at St. Stephen's during the week.

Another service is Morning Prayer. The parallel evening service is Evening Prayer. These services consist of psalms, Bible readings, prayers, and may include a sermon. They may be with or without music.

While some parts of the services are always the same, others change. At the Holy Eucharist, for example, two or three Bible selections are read. These change each Sunday. So do the psalms. Certain prayers also change, in order to provide variety.

You will find the services of the Episcopal Church beautiful in their ordered dignity, God-centered, and yet mindful of the nature and needs of human beings.

Before and After Services
It is the custom upon entering church to kneel in one's pew for prayer of personal preparation for worship. In many churches it is also the custom to bow to the altar on entering and leaving the church as an act of reverence for Christ.

Episcopalians do not talk in church before a service but use this time for personal meditation and devotions. At the end of the service some persons kneel for a private prayer before leaving. Others sometimes sit to listen to the organ postlude.

Vestments
To add to the beauty and festivity of the services, and to signify their special ministries, the clergy and other ministers wear vestments. Choir vestments usually consist of an undergown called a cassock (usually black) and a white, gathered overgown called a surplice. The clergy may also wear cassock and surplice.

Another familiar vestment is the alb, a white tunic with sleeves that covers the body from neck to ankles. Over it (or over the surplice) ordained ministers wear a stole, a narrow band of colored fabric. Deacons wear the stole over one shoulder, priests and bishops over both shoulders.

At the Holy Eucharist a bishop or priest frequently wears a chasuble (a circular garment that envelopes the body) over the alb and stole. The deacon's corresponding vestment has sleeves and is called a dalmatic. Bishops sometimes wear a special headcovering called a mitre.

Stoles, chasubles, and dalmatics, as well as altar coverings, are usually made of rich fabrics. Their color changes with the seasons and holy days of the Church Year. The most frequently used colors are white, red, violet, and green.

The Church Year
The Episcopal Church observes the traditional Christian calendar. The season of Advent, during which we prepare for Christmas, begins on the Sunday closest to November 30. Christmas itself lasts twelve days, after which we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany (January 6).

Lent, the forty days of preparation for Easter, begins on Ash Wednesday. Easter season lasts fifty days, concluding on the feast of Pentecost.

During these times the Bible readings are chosen for their appropriateness to the season. During the rest of the year - the season after Epiphany and the long season after Pentecost (except for a few special Sundays) - the New Testament is read sequentially from Sunday to Sunday. The Old Testament lesson corresponds in theme with one of the New Testament readings.

Coming and Going
Ushers will greet you and provide you with a Service Leaflet. Pews are not reserved at St. Stephen's, with the possible exception of the first rows for Baptisms or other special events.

Following the service, our pastor will greet you as you leave, and we provide refreshments and social time in Spurling Hall.

You Will Not Be Embarrassed
When you visit St. Stephen's or any Episcopal church, you will be our respected and welcomed guest. You will not be singled out in an embarrassing way, nor asked to stand before the congregation nor to come forward. You will worship God with us.