HOLY SPIRIT living within us, guide our hearts and minds as we welcome today all those who worship at St. Mary’s. Give us discerning hearts so that everyone who crosses our threshold feels welcomed in the spirit of your love. Help us to recognize each person as an individual sent by you who will enrich our lives. And most of all, O God, let this be a place of love and acceptance for all your children; in the name of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
This is the Welcoming Prayer with which we prepare ourselves for worship each Sunday. This is how we understand our worship together: as an invitation extended to everybody to come into God’s presence. We recognize that it is God who has gathered us together, and we prepare our space and our hearts to welcome all that God wants to show us. We come together to lift up our hearts to God in adoration, to confess the ways we have fallen short of our calling as followers of Jesus, to plead with the God of all mercy on behalf of a hurting world, and to offer our never-ending awe and thanks for all the blessings of this life.
There are two services on Sunday mornings, both of which follow the Book of Common Prayer (1979). The 8:30 a.m. service is a spoken service, offering the opportunity for quiet contemplation. The 10:00 a.m. service includes the singing of hymns and other portions of the service, as well as offerings from our choir. The Holy Eucharist is celebrated at both services. Sunday school and nursery care are available at the 10:00 service. The children join the congregation at the mid-point of the service so that we can all worship as a family.
Quite simply, our worship service would be better if you were here with us. Everyone of us has experienced challenges to our faith and affirmations to our faith. We roll into Sunday with another weeks worth of experiences that shape our faith and our relationship with Christ. By worshiping together we can lift each other up and find the commonalities that make us stronger. We are looking forward to welcoming you!