Worship at St. Timothy's
Worship is the heart of our life together.
Our services are traditional and dignified, and intimately involve members of the congregation as lay readers, acolytes, and chalice bearers. The Altar and Flower Guilds invite both men and women to assist in readying the Church for worship, and a small cadre of Lay Eucharistic Ministers regularly take communion to sick and shut-in parishioners.
The basic books we use as resources for our services are The Bible, The Book of Common Prayer, 1979 and the Hymnal, 1982.
Worship at St. Timothy's is Eucharistic
Eucharist is an ancient Greek word for “thanksgiving”. We gather each week and share a meal of bread and wine in thanksgiving for Christ’s loving sacrifice of his body and blood upon the cross. Our form of worship has changed little over the centuries, and we continue this practice because Jesus invites us to share his body (bread) and blood (wine) in remembrance of him.
When we gather, we prepare ourselves to receive God’s grace, we come to the table shoulder to shoulder in communion (as a community) with one another and with Christ, and are immediately sent to share that grace with the world. Sometimes this is also called the Lord’s Supper, Holy Communion or the Mass.
Worship at St. Timothy's is Corporate
Our worship is taken directly from the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) found in the rack in front of each pew. In 1549 the first Book of Common Prayer broke new ground when it was printed in the language of the people, encouraging people to be active participants in worship. In corporate worship, we unite our voices to the glory of God through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Worship at St. Timothy's is Sacramental
We find our identity rooted in the sacrament of Baptism, which is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ’s body, the church (BCP 298). Sacraments are outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace, given by Christ as sure and certain means by which we receive that grace (BCP 857).
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Through sacraments we experience the presence and grace of God. Thus to be sacramental is to believe the grace of God is made present in the world, particularly in worship and the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist. Our experience of these sacraments governs our worship and our worldview, since through them we know God is not distant but present with us in these acts and in the world.