I'm curious about the Episcopalian/Anglican Church

[nemo137]

I've been considering visiting and attending a service there. What should I know before I go to that?

[Virginian]

1. The one I went to

was very inclusive, open and welcoming.

There are high churches and there are low churches plus
each church has it's own personality.

The blue book is for singing, the red book is for the service.

[Spiffarino]

2. They vary widely from place to place.

The Episcopal way is to find your own path. In some churches, it means being all-encompassing, and all-inclusive - everyone who loves God and His creation is welcome. In others, it means standing firm for older, conservative, more traditional ways. There are even some that are charismatic and evangelical!

What we did was Find a church where we knew people we liked and who seemed to share most of our values. We found a perfect fit and have never been happier belonging to a congretation. There are some truly wonderful people who spend their Sundays there.

[bobweaver]

3. You are allowed to take communion even if it is your very first time that

you have set foot in an Episcopal church. At least that's what they said at the one I went to. This is very different from the Catholic communion in which you have to have all the proper preparations before you can take communuion. The mass in the Episcopal church is very similar to the Catholic mass in structure. It seemed to take longer, though. One thing I noticed is that for every hymn they sang, they sang every verse that was printed in the hymnal. At the Catholic masses they often sing only the first verse or first two. At the Episcopal they sang every word that was on the page.

[davidinalameda]

6. you're allowed as long as you've been baptised in a church

at least that's what I was told

I have an ex who is Episcopal and we went a few times

[JerseygirlCT]

11. Any baptized Christian may receive

I've even read about some talk of having a completely open communion -- no baptism required!

[autorank]

4. If you find a good one, it will be great!

My church was a great church to grow up in. Very tolerant, inclusive, and the ritual was really dignified and meaningful. There are arch conservative versions of the church so check out a few. In general, it was excellent. Of course, when we moved back East and I took my wife to the local Episcopal church in anticipation of baptizing our daughter there, we got a priest who said essentially that baptism was an urgent matter lest your infants be confined to Hell for an eternity. Last time for a long time (2 decades) I set foot on a church. She was not baptized and is one of the most ethical, "Christian" people you'd ever meet. Go figure.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

5. MOST will be open and welcoming

However, if you're in the U.S. and a parish calls itself "Anglican" rather than "Episcopal," it's likely to belong to one of the dissident conservative factions that won't ordain women or otherwise adjust to the modern world. (In Canada, "Anglican" is simply the name of the denominiation.)

All standard-issue Episcopal churches use the 1979 Book of Common Prayer (red) and the 1982 Hymnal (blue). Beyond that, individual parishes may be either high (lots of ceremony), low (very plain services), or broad (a mixture). The majority use Rite II (a modern-language service), but some either use Rite I (old-style language) all the time or have one service per day with Rite I.

High churches (sometimes called Anglo-Catholic) have a whole drill of required motions during the service, such as bowing when the processional cross passes or crossing one's self at the mention of the Trinity. Low churches frown on that, and broad churches don't care and are quite free-form.

The Episcopal church has its own lingo. Here are some common terms:

rector: head priest of a parish, chosen by the parish
vicar: head priest of a church, appointed by the local bishop
dean: head priest of a cathedral
curate: assistant priest
canon: assistant priest or other professional at a cathedral
vestry: the governing council of a parish
chapter: the governing council of a cathedral
sexton: janitor
evensong: an evening service
morning prayer: a morning service without Communion
Eucharist: Communion
verger: in high churches, the "MC" of a service, who leads the processions and makes sure everyone is where they need to be
lector: someone who reads lessons from the pulpit

If you're not sure which Episcopal church you want to attend, call the diocesan office (under "Episcopal Diocese of Wherever You Live" in the phone book) and tell them what you're looking for. Parishes have different personalities, and the diocesan office will know what each one is.

I hope you enjoy your visit.

[pelagius]

9. The website of the Episcopal Church (USA) is at...

...http://www.episcopalchurch.org/. There is excellent background material on Christianity in general and the Episcopal Church in particular there.

You can locate a parish (church) in your area through that website. You can also find the diocesan (district) office through that site. Call and ask them where the liberal (or family-oriented or large or ...) churches are in your area. They'll know! If a gay-affirming church is of particular interest to you, see www.integrityusa.org for background and contact the chapter in your district for assistance.

One bit of advice -- if you're not used to liturgical worship, it may seem confusing at first. Please just relax -- you're not going to make some offensive mistake. After just a few services, it gets easy to follow along. In the meantime, just ask your neighbor in the pew to help you. Most Episcopalians love their liturgy and are happy to guide you through it. It is a treasure we wish to share.

If you want to familiarize yourself with the Eucharist service, an on-line copy with annotations that explain what is going on can be found at http://www.kingofpeace.org/resources/.

Important note: You are welcome at the Communion rail. Some churches follow the canon (rule) that only baptized Christians may partake; many churches -- especially the liberal ones -- welcome you wherever you are on your spiritual journey. In either case, no one is ever turned away, so please follow where the Spirit leads you. In general, nobody in an Episcopal church will embarrass or single you out in any uncomfortable way. We're polite to a fault. More on that later.

Some practical details -- you can take Communion in a number of ways. While kneeling at the rail -- the ushers will guide the congregation up, pew-by-pew -- place right hand over the left with palms open. The minister will come and place a wafer in your open palm saying something like, "The Body of Christ, the bread of heaven". You respond "Amen". You can then raise your palms to your mouth and eat the wafer. (Picking it up with your fingers is considered bad form, but, again, no one will scold you for it or, frankly, even care, since they're wrapped up in their own devotions.)

Then another minister comes along with a chalice of wine mixed with water and offers it to you, saying something like, "The Blood of Christ, the cup of salvation." Guide it to your lips by holding the base with your thumb and forefinger(s) and take a sip. This is the most common form of reception.

If you prefer not to sip from the common cup, leave the wafer in your hand after it is distributed. When the minister comes with the chalice s/he will take the wafer from your hand, dip it in the wine, and place it in your open mouth. Stick your tongue out a bit to assist. This method is called _intinction_. It is commonly used by children and many adults, especially those who gravitate toward the "Catholic" part of the Anglican heritage.

If you don't want either the wafer or the wine, say, because you're gluten intolerant or a recovering alcoholic who doesn't even want a small taste of wine, simply smile and whisper, "I receive only the wafer" or "the wine" and take one or the other. Rest assured you have received the full communion and the benefits it confers. I'll not go into that in detail, but you may be surprised at how deep a spiritual experience you can have on your knees at the Eucharistic Table. Be open and ready.

Finally, if, for whatever reason, you don't want to receive the elements (the wine and bread), please go to the altar rail, kneel, and cross your hands across your chest. The minister will bless you as s/he passes.

Phew! That was a lot of words to describe something very simple. Always remember, you can't make a mistake. If you come with sincere intentions, you can do no wrong. Everyone around you is glad you're there to share this heavenly feast!

The service ends pretty quickly after Communion, although you may have to sit through some announcements in some churches. Basically, though, you say a prayer of thanksgiving, get blessed by the priest, and are dismissed with a hearty benediction such as "Let us go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit!" to which you reply, "Thanks be to God!".

You'll generally have a chance to file out through the main door and introduce yourself to the minister. S/he will undoubtedly invite you to come back anytime and ask you to go down to the parish hall for coffee and a little nosh.

Here's where understanding a bit about Episcopalian manners helps. There are many members of any Episcopal congregation who are a bit lax when it comes to actually attending church. That strange man you've never seen in three years of attendance may actually be a long-time member who would be affronted to be greeted as a visitor. To be frank, at Christmas and Easter, I don't know who the hell 80% of the people in the church I attend weekly are.

So, if it seems people are shy to greet you, don't be offended. Identify yourself as a visitor to someone and 9 times out of 10, they will take you by the arm and introduce you to more people you can possibly remember.

Another note: Episcopalians are not particularly interested in what you believe. In fact, the great strength of our Church -- although its detractors call it a weakness -- is that all points of view are welcome. There are at least three or four skeptics or agnostics I know of in my parish who co-exist peacefully with as many evangelical Bible thumpers. Most people fall somewhere in between. Episcopalians in general tend to be much better educated than the average church-goer and ordained ministers are required to have not only a college degree, but three rigorous years of seminary training. It's said that there is no belief held by an Episcopalian that is not held somewhere by another faithful Episcopalian. Questions and doubts are welcome!

This post has gone on too long. But as a grateful member of the Episcopal Church, I'm excited to see you investigate the Anglican way of spirituality. Please let us know how it went!

[JVS]

7. Arrive and sit down a bit early so you can look at the liturgical setting

That way you won't get lost during the service.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

8. Some churches have real clear instructions in their bulletins, and

others do not. Either way, a first-timer will be more comfortable knowing what is to follow.

In either case, don't hesitate to ask the person next to you in the pew if you get lost.

[pelagius]

10. There are two Episcopal churches in your town...

(or the town you listed in your profile). There is Emmanuel Church:

http://www.emmanuelrockford.org/

This seems like a very active church in the Anglo-Catholic (or "high") tradition. Were I in your town, I'd love to attend this church, but if a lot of liturgical pomp is off-putting to your sense of spirituality, it might be a bit much. Plenty for the life of mind here -- their adult study group reads Kirkegaard! Active social ministry among the poor and hungry, too.

There is also St. Anskar's:

http://www.stanskars.org/

This seems to be a smaller church, yet liturgically open and rich. They have an Alpha class, which is a "Christianity 101" type course. They also seem to be quite interested in Celtic Christian roots. Check out the picture of the bard with long, gray hair playing the harp while people walk a labyrinth (an ancient spiritual practice).

Either of these churches look like they're worth checking out!

But if you're willing to drive a bit, you can find nearly anything you want in the Diocese of Chicago. There web page is at:

http://www.epischicago.org/