Worship:
The principal Sunday service
is the Holy Eucharist. St. Paul's offers an 8:00 a.m. Eucharist without music and a 10:30
a.m. Eucharist with music. A 6:15 a.m. Eucharist is offered most Wednesday
mornings. Mother Liza is available for Healing Prayers and Confession on Mondays
from 12:00 to 1:30. There is also a Healing Service and Eucharist on the second
Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m.
Much of the service remains
the same each Sunday. Bible readings follow a three year cycle, which allows a
majority of the Bible to be read in that time. Sunday readings usually include a
reading from the Hebrew Testament, a psalm, a reading from the Epistles, and a Gospel
reading. The homily is generally based on the Gospel reading.
You will find the services of
the Episcopal Church beautiful in their ordered dignity, God-centered, and yet mindful of
the nature and needs of human beings.
After the 8:00 a.m. Eucharist
on Sundays, many members usually gather for breakfast at Stooges Restaurant in downtown
St. Joseph. Please feel free to join them! After the 10:30 a.m. Eucharist,
worshipers meet downstairs in the Parish Hall for coffee hour. If you have
difficulty with stairs, please ask for directions to the lift.
When you visit an Episcopal
Church, you will be our respected and welcomed guest. You will not be singled out in
an embarrassing way, nor asked to stand before the congregation, nor to come
forward. You will have the opportunity to worship God with us.
St. Paul's Worship Center grew
from concept to reality in 1990 after several women in the parish studied the innovative,
Montessori-based approach to Christian education. The Worship Center currently ministers
to two groups. The original group includes all children from age 3 through the third
grade. The second group provides more in-depth study and stories for youths from the 4th
through 8th grades. This group calls itself the Sonseekers. For more information on
Worship Center programs, go to the Worship Center page (under construction).
Adult Education meets in the
lounge on the main level of the church at 9:15 a.m. on Sundays. A variety of formats and
topics are used and discussed,led by parish members throughout the year. Adult education
classes do not meet during the summer months. Also available to anyone wishing to become
more familiar with the Episcopal church and/or prepare to be confirmed or received in the
church is an Inquirers class. The Inquirers class is customized to meet the needs of the
people attending and usually begins in the early fall, concluding in the spring. Various
educational opportunities are available through the parish, diocese and community and are
noted as they occur.