| Sunday Schedule |
| 8:00 AM |
SUNG EUCHARIST with Incense (1928 Prayer Book)
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| 9:15 AM |
Nursery and Child Care (Canterbury Rm)
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| 9:30 AM |
CHORAL EUCHARIST (Rite II)
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| 11:23 AM |
EUCHARIST CELEBRATION (Sunday School - Cana-Nazareth Rm)
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| 6:00 PM |
ISLAND VINEYARD CHURCH SERVICE (Miller Hall)
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Our principal times for worship begin each Sunday at 10.30 AM, following a short break for refreshments and fellowship that signals the conclusion of our Adult Formation and Children's Ministry session.
You can expect our Sunday morning service to last approximately 90 minutes in the main worship area, during which time a nursery is offered for infants and toddlers, Godly Play is offered for ages 4 through 8 years, as well as Sunday School for older children. We would normally all join together to share in the simple meal of bread and wine that has become central to Anglican worship, known as the Eucharist [see our Glossary]. You may also have heard this celebration referred to as the Lord's Supper, the Holy Communion or the Mass.
So, what is our worship like…
Our worship style is known as "liturgical" which means that we tend usually to follow a prescribed order of service that does not vary greatly week by week, except for the various praise songs, hymns, reading, prayers and message that are selected and prepared in a coordinated manner and reflect a common theme. Everything you will need to know about the order of the service is written in a bulletin you will receive when you come to St. Stephen's. You won't have to handle a lot of different books.
We love to sing so there is a great deal of music of differing genres - a time of praise designed to lift our hearts and our spirits and in preparation for a more formal entry hymn. After asking the Lord to reveal the true nature of our hearts [and to begin to cleanse us with His Holy Spirit so that we might offer worship that is worthy] we again sing a hymn of praise to the Trinity. And then we prepare ourselves to hear God's Word read in our midst.
Our reading from the Old Testament which is followed by another from the New Testament prepare us for the reading of the Gospel which is surrounded by song. We understand it is the Lord speaking to us as we read, mark and meditate upon His Word. The message for each Sunday is Biblically based, challenging and relevant to life's issues. In varying degrees, this message is also interactive.
Then, after declaring what we believe [though not confessional, we are a creedal church] we enter into a time of prayer and intercession for our community and the world because we know that prayer changes things. We prepare ourselves for the "meal" we about to receive by first confessing our sin before God and receiving His forgiveness.
While the Lord's Table is prepared and the "meal" set out an anthem is usually sung that allows further preparation of our hearts. After we have offered the simple gifts of bread and wine to the Lord in prayer, concluding with the prayer Jesus taught us to pray, we come forward in an orderly fashion to receive the bread and wine that Jesus declared would be for believers His Body and Blood [some may decide to come forward only for a blessing]. This is a sacred moment, a time for personal rededication and renewed determination to live our lives in a manner befitting both the King and His Kingdom. During this time a number of praise songs and hymns are sung by everyone so led.
Our time of worship ends with prayer that sends us out into the world to continue in those works the Lord has called us to do, and we sing a closing hymn. Before we leave the worship area, however, we listen to announcements and hear testimonies of what the Lord has done in the lives of some of our members. Our God is a living God.
Always a time for refreshment and fellowship follows. Always a time to make acquaintance with new friends and visitors.
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