What to expect on Sunday Morning
Before the service
· Park in one of our three visitor parking spaces designated "Visitor Parking". They will be located on your right as you enter the church entrance drive way.
· You will be greeted and warmly welcomed to St. Francis at the front doors of our church. The greeters will provide you a name tag and answer any immediate questions that you might have in a gathering space we call the Narthex.
· One of our greeters will then direct you to the ushers for a church service bulletin as you enter the sanctuary. You may seat yourself, or ask an Usher to help you find a seat.
· Young children ages 0-5 are offered excellent child care in our Nursery, located in our education building. One of the Ushers will be happy to assist you.
· Elementary-aged children (Kindergarten-5th grade) are invited to the front of the Sanctuary at the 10:45am service for a blessing by the priest before going to our Children’s Chapel. The children return from Children's Chapel as we exchange the peace, before Holy Communion begins.
During the service
· If you’re new to the Episcopal Church, you’ll discover that our worship style is very interactive and participatory. We use the bulletin, the “Book of Common Prayer” (the red book) and the Hymnal (the blue book) as our guides for worship. You’ll hear people responding during the service according to “scripts” in the Book of Common Prayer. And you’ll see people sitting, standing, and kneeling depending on whether we’re learning, listening, singing, or praying. Even so, our services might be a little intimidating at first! Please don’t feel awkward or embarrassed if you don’t “keep up”—PLEASE just do what you’re comfortable with! And if you’d like help, the people near you would be happy to assist—just ask.
· We celebrate the Holy Communion at every service. Anyone who has been baptized is invited to partake in Holy Communion, from infants to adults. If you do not wish to take Communion, but would like to receive a blessing from a priest, please cross your arms over your chest at the altar rail.
· During the service, you’ll be invited to complete a visitor card. We ask that you do this so we can follow up with you according to your interests. Please place it in the offering plate during the Offertory; or, hand it to one of our greeters or ushers.
After the service
· The priest would enjoy meeting you. He will be located by the front doors as you exit the Sanctuary into the Narthex. Please introduce yourselves and don't leave yet.
· We invite you to join us in the Parish Hall for the Coffee and Cookies. Members of the St. Francis community will be there to answer questions about our services, the Episcopal Church, or any other questions you might have about the life of our church.
· We also want to present you with one of our visitor bags full of information about St. Francis along with a current copy of our monthly newsletter to let you see new events taking place.
· If you need help locating a restroom or if you need anything else, please ask someone for assistance—we’re happy to help you!
Before the service
· Park in one of our three visitor parking spaces designated "Visitor Parking". They will be located on your right as you enter the church entrance drive way.
· You will be greeted and warmly welcomed to St. Francis at the front doors of our church. The greeters will provide you a name tag and answer any immediate questions that you might have in a gathering space we call the Narthex.
· One of our greeters will then direct you to the ushers for a church service bulletin as you enter the sanctuary. You may seat yourself, or ask an Usher to help you find a seat.
· Young children ages 0-5 are offered excellent child care in our Nursery, located in our education building. One of the Ushers will be happy to assist you.
· Elementary-aged children (Kindergarten-5th grade) are invited to the front of the Sanctuary at the 10:45am service for a blessing by the priest before going to our Children’s Chapel. The children return from Children's Chapel as we exchange the peace, before Holy Communion begins.
During the service
· If you’re new to the Episcopal Church, you’ll discover that our worship style is very interactive and participatory. We use the bulletin, the “Book of Common Prayer” (the red book) and the Hymnal (the blue book) as our guides for worship. You’ll hear people responding during the service according to “scripts” in the Book of Common Prayer. And you’ll see people sitting, standing, and kneeling depending on whether we’re learning, listening, singing, or praying. Even so, our services might be a little intimidating at first! Please don’t feel awkward or embarrassed if you don’t “keep up”—PLEASE just do what you’re comfortable with! And if you’d like help, the people near you would be happy to assist—just ask.
· We celebrate the Holy Communion at every service. Anyone who has been baptized is invited to partake in Holy Communion, from infants to adults. If you do not wish to take Communion, but would like to receive a blessing from a priest, please cross your arms over your chest at the altar rail.
· During the service, you’ll be invited to complete a visitor card. We ask that you do this so we can follow up with you according to your interests. Please place it in the offering plate during the Offertory; or, hand it to one of our greeters or ushers.
After the service
· The priest would enjoy meeting you. He will be located by the front doors as you exit the Sanctuary into the Narthex. Please introduce yourselves and don't leave yet.
· We invite you to join us in the Parish Hall for the Coffee and Cookies. Members of the St. Francis community will be there to answer questions about our services, the Episcopal Church, or any other questions you might have about the life of our church.
· We also want to present you with one of our visitor bags full of information about St. Francis along with a current copy of our monthly newsletter to let you see new events taking place.
· If you need help locating a restroom or if you need anything else, please ask someone for assistance—we’re happy to help you!