What to Expect

What is your main service?

We have a weekly Holy Communion service every Sunday at 11am. It lasts 45 minutes to an hour.

Find us at 221 E. 12th Street, Mission, TX 78572.

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How do you worship on Sundays?

We use the Holy Communion service found in the 1662 edition of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer (BCP). For Anglicans, the BCP is not another holy book, but "scripture arranged for worship." Some parts of the service are the same throughout the year, while other parts of the service change depending on the day or season. In penitential seasons like Advent (leading to Christmas) and Lent (leading to Easter), the service is a bit longer.

 

Our service includes scripture readings, a 10-20 minute teaching or reflection on the readings, prayers (including a prayer of confession), and consecration and administration of the bread and wine that becomes the real presence of our Blessed Lord, Jesus Christ, in Holy Communion.

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We frequently worship with music. However, we do not have live musicians. We either sing a cappella or with recorded organ music. The lyrics we sing have been vetted to ensure they are theologically and doctrinally sound. "He who sings prays twice."

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Should I bring anything?

Everything you might need to participate is already here. We have prayer books, bibles, hymnals, and occasional printouts.

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Do you collect an offering?

You may leave tithes, offerings, and donations in the offering plate on the table in the back of the church. All donations given in person are brought before the altar, and a blessing is said over the gift and giver alike. You may also give online.

 

If you give in person and wish to receive a receipt for tax purposes, please use an envelope with your name and email or postal address.

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Do you have other services or events?

Yes. Our rector (priest) leads a brief morning and evening prayer service Monday through Friday, but the times vary depending on the season. Please email him ahead of time to coordinate your visit.

 

You can also look for special services events we host throughout the year on our Events page.

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What should I wear?

Just dress modestly. Above all, focus on preparing your heart to worship rather than clothes, hair, or makeup. Suits and dresses are not required, but a good rule of thumb is whether you would wear something to appear in a court of law. If you wouldn't wear it there, we ask that you not wear it here, either.

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• Shoes: When you enter the upstairs of the church, please remove your shoes and place them on the rug in the back of the nave (the main section with the pews) next to the book table.

• Head coverings: Men, please remove any hats or caps when entering the main part of the church. Women, we welcome those of you who choose to cover their heads in accordance with I Corinthians 11. While we do not force this issue, we do provide clean scarfs for women who choose to engage with this ancient tradition and do not have their own scarf.

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Where should I sit?

We practice the ancient tradition of having men and women sitting on opposite sides of the nave. Ladies should find any open seat on the left side of the church, and gentlemen should be seated on the right side of the church.

 

Why do men and women sit on opposite sides of the nave?

We do this for a few reasons. First, it is a practice of the earliest Christians, intended to encourage modesty, remove distractions, and promote full engagement with the liturgy. Second, it witnesses, theologically, that all of us are created in God's image, whether single or married, and that neither state is better than the other. While marriage is a good and holy institution ordained by God, it is not a prerequisite for full-engagement in Christian life. When we die, we will not stand before God as a husband, wife, mother, father, son, or daughter, but as an individual. Finally, it is a way of witnessing prophetically, with our bodies, that God created us male and female, without respect to the confusion on gender issues in our current cultural climate. We understand that this practice is exceedingly rare in the West, including in Anglican churches. It remains more commonplace in the East, and we have adopted it as a local custom for the reasons stated here.

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What if I have children?

Children up through age 12 may be seated with either parent on either side of the church, no matter their gender. Younger children especially are welcome to move back and forth between parents on either side during the service. We are realistic and understand that children are, by nature, frequently noisy and distracting. We hope you will bring them anyway. Further, we ask that you not put a screen in their hands during the service to keep them quiet. Given the choice between a child who is quiet because their face is in a tablet versus a child who is struggling to engage in the service in age-appropriate ways, we would choose the second option every time.

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Do you have special programs for children?

We are praying for more parents to come with children so that we can host events like Vacation Bible School and children's Bible studies. However, these events would be at times other than the main Sunday service.

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Due to the importance of what is happening in our Holy Communion services, we do not believe it is good to exclude children from the blessings that come from attending it. For this reason, we avoid segregating children into separate programming during our Holy Communion services. Additionally, at least one long-term study has demonstrated that children who grow up going to a special "children's church" during the adult service are more likely to stop attending church altogether around high school graduation. Alternatively, children who are taught how to participate in the main liturgy (in age-appropriate ways) from their youth are more likely to remain anchored in the faith throughout adulthood.

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Are there other opportunities to learn about Christianity?

Yes! We have seasonal catechism courses. When they are in session, we meet at 10am on Sundays. We typically spend 4-6 weeks at a time covering differing topics, such as a study of individual books of the Bible, or the writings of a particular church father (for example, the sermons of St John Chrysostom).​​​