What to Expect
First, expect to be welcomed—to be at home with us. Second, if you are new to church, expect things to be a bit strange—but strangely beautiful. We believe that God is not far-off and distant, but comes to us in the real, mundane, and ordinary aspects of our lives. This is true first and foremost in the life of Jesus Christ, who is “Emmanuel,” God-with-us, and this presence of God with us in Christ continues today. Because God shows up in the ordinary in our lives, the ordinary things of life become the space of our worship. Our worship is centered around the Eucharist, where Christ is present to us in the simple elements of bread and wine, where we are transformed, and where we are sent into the world in love. Our Sunday celebration of the Eucharist involves music, prayer, readings from Scripture, a sermon reflecting on the readings and what they mean for us today, and the sharing of Christ’s presence with us in the sacrament—a blessing gifted to us that we might become a blessing and gift to the world.
Service times:
Sunday Eucharist @ 9am on December 31, 2023 - beginning on Sunday, January 7 our Sunday Eucharist will begin at 10am. We gather each Sunday as a community to meet Christ among us, learn and grow, and be sent out to love the world. If you are unable to join us in-person, you can join us online here.
Tuesday Eucharist @ 12pm. A short service of Holy Communion with no music or sermon.
MorningPrayer: Tuesday – Friday @ 8:30am unless otherwise posted (resources for prayer at home here).
The Sunday Eucharist
The Eucharist (also called the Mass or Holy Communion) is celebrated each Sunday at St. Paul’s by the whole community. The priest administers the sacrament, the people together offer their lives to God and receive them back renewed and transformed by Christ’s presence, acolytes (or servers) support our worship with candles and other aids to our senses, the choir leads us to raise our voice in thanksgiving, prayer, hope, desperation, and joy, greeters and ushers see that everyone is cared for, lay eucharistic ministers assist in administering the sacrament and leading our prayers, the altar guild helps to prepare the space for our worship, lectors (or readers) draw us into God’s story through the reading of Scripture, and several people offer prayers for those who seek Christ’s healing. The Eucharist is at the heart of our community, it is the source of everything else we do, because from it flows our life of love and service to the world and our unity with one another. Our worship is an offering to God whose love is given freely to all, and so it is not inclined toward a particular age group or subculture or individual preferences, but is both faithful to thousands of years of Christian tradition and relevant to our lives today. Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, whatever your past or present, and whatever you believe or don’t believe, you will find a space here to explore, doubt, question, and discover God’s love in Jesus Christ.
