St. Paul's Anglican Church

When to expect when you come to worship at St. Paul’s

 

 

We invite you to attend any one of our 4 weekly worship services. All ages, including babies and seniors, go to church at St. Paul’s.

 

We are a Christian community of faith which means that we are faithful to God through a belief in Jesus Christ. Christians believe that Jesus is alive to us in a special way and that we can have a deep and personal relationship with him.

 

St. Paul’s is part of the Anglican Church of Canada, which is a branch of Christianity. There are 70 million Anglicans around the world. Our bishop is Anne Germond and she lives in Sault Ste Marie.

 

When you come into church, you will be welcomed and handed a bulletin. You can also pick up a Bible (the book of Christian scriptures) at the back of the church.

 

You are welcome to take your baby or toddler downstairs to our supervised nursery. You will be handed a pager that will alert you if your child needs Mommy or Daddy.

 

Please sit anywhere you want. There are no reserved pews!

 

You might close your eyes and say a little prayer. Thank God for what you are thankful for. People sit or kneel to say this prayer.

 

The service will begin with everyone standing and singing. Give it a try. Singing is good for the soul. The words of the hymns (special name for songs sung in church and pronounced hims) are in the hymn book or maybe on the screen too.

 

You will be told when to stand, sit or kneel so you don’t have to worry that you will look out of place.

 

After a welcome, a hymn, and a prayer, we will then sit down. People will read from the Bible. You can follow along in the Bible if you want. You will be instructed as to how to find the passage. Let the words flow through you.

 

There will be a children’ talk and your children are welcome to join the other children at the front of the church. Then the children will go downstairs to Sunday School. You may join your children downstairs or they may stay upstairs. The choice is yours!

 

Next comes a 10 minute sermon that will be a message of hope. The sermon will bring the world of the Bible into your real issues today.

 

After prayers, and the opportunity to ask God for forgiveness, you will receive an absolution.

 

We then move to the peace. Please shake hands with people around you and say to them, “Peace be with you.” As Christians believe that we are the body of Christ, share the peace in the same way with people you know and people you don’t know.

 

Worship services have no admission fees, but there is a time during the service called the offering when we make our financial offerings to God. We do not pass a plate but ask you to place your offering in one of the bowls in the aisles of the church. The money will be brought to the altar (the large table at the front) and blessed, along with bread and wine, and food for those in need.

 

The next part of the service is the communion part. Jesus gave us a special meal with bread and wine that we believe gives us spiritual nourishment and grace. This meal keeps us going for the next week! If you are baptized, you can come to the altar rail and receive this meal. If you are not baptized, please come forward for a blessing.

 

You may stand or kneel. Put your arms behind your back so the priest knows that you desire a blessing. The service ends with a blessing, announcements and a final hymn.

 

From start to finish, it takes about an hour and 15 minutes. However, our Saturday service at 5 pm takes 35 minutes and so does our Wednesday morning service.

 

After the worship, you are welcome to come downstairs for refreshments and conversation.

 

We look forward to getting to know you! God bless!