Worship

Our worship focuses on the celebration and praise of God for the love revealed in Jesus Christ. In this sacred time, we open our hearts to the mystery of God and receive inspiration, strength, and mystical connection with Someone greater than us and with each other. How we worship stands rooted in thousands of years of Church practice yet renewed for relevance with each passing generation.

Our worship follows a reliable pattern, centered on scripture, prayer, and the weekly practice of Eucharist, known as Communion, Mass, or the Lord’s Supper in other Christian traditions. Episcopal worship is highly participatory in a predictable way, not a spectator experience. All baptized people are welcome to receive Communion, including children of all ages.

Our 8:00am Eucharist uses Rite I, a very traditional way of praying that features Elizabethan language similar to the King James Version of the Bible.  It does not include music and lasts about 50 minutes.  Our 10:30am Eucharist uses contemporary language we call Rite II and includes both congregational and choral music.  It usually lasts a little over an hour. 

On the spectrum of Episcopal worship, ours might be described as traditional and leaning toward “high church,” where we sing the Psalm and other elements of the service, but do not use incense very often.  Relative to other Christian traditions, we blend Roman Catholic, Protestant, and some Orthodox elements with grace, offering an unique experience. 

Music

During 10:30 worship, we sing several congregational pieces from hymnals. Our congregation sings with joy and strength, and we enjoy excellent acoustics.  We offer several organ recitals over the course of the year on Sunday afternoons. 

Our choir rehearses at 9:30 on Sunday and everyone is welcome.

Music is a central part of our worship and our spiritual practice. From our dedicated choir members, to our organist, to the composers in our midst who have created new settings for our ancient words, we love singing and listening to great music.

Fellowship

During Eucharist, we receive a foretaste of the heavenly banquet promised to the faithful through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.  After our 10:30 am service, we enjoy robust fellowship in our Parish Hall.  Coffee hours are more common, but periodically throughout the year we have more substantial meals: in the Spring and Fall; and quarterly when we honor Milestone Birthdays and Newcomers.  We also have a series of parish-wide fellowship events not on Sunday morning, like the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, a Kentucky Derby Party in early May, a Pig Roast in September, and a Chili Dinner in late January.