CHURCH
OF THE
HOLY FAMILY

A Message from our Senior Warden

 

If you have attended other Episcopal churches, you’ve probably seen services that are both more and less traditional than Church of the Holy Family. Visitors regularly comment how friendly Holy Family feels to them. We welcome you to join us in worship if you come from a different faith background. You will likely find people of any race, gender, sexual orientation or economic status at Holy Family. We hope and expect you will find welcome here in whatever social location you find yourself. We hope that you will find here a place of respite and healing, of growth and exploration, of inspiration and joy.

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If your background is in another Protestant denomination or even many Roman Catholic congregations, you will probably find worship at Church of the Holy Family to be quite formal, though we hope not stuffy. As you enter the sanctuary, you will receive a bulletin telling you what will happen in the service. We only ask that you give us a chance; those new to our worship might want to first simply sit and let the service soak into one’s soul. Holy Family celebrates an inclusive worship style rich in the liturgy of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Communion is open to all baptized Christians, and the opportunities to serve in worship are open to both children and adults. You will see children as greeters and ushers.

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We offer three regular weekly worship services, 5:30 p.m. on Saturday and 8 and 10:30 a.m. on Sunday. Only our 10:30 a.m. service has music. We embrace children in all of our worship services, though you are most likely to see them at our 10:30 a.m. service. They are welcome to stay in the sanctuary during the entire service, or they can attend Sunday school during the 10:30 a.m. service and rejoin their families after the sermon.

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Preaching is shorter in our church than some other denominations, but sermons are routinely strong, and come early in the service. The sermon is not the focal point of our service, however. The Eucharist, or communion, is the focal point of the service and is open to all the baptized, including very young children. We would love for you to come to the table; if you do not wish to receive communion, cross your arms over your chest, and the priest will give you a quiet blessing.

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The choir and those who serve at the altar wear robes and vestments, but people in the pews are comfortable in all sorts of dress, from shorts to suits. Please join us after the 10:30 a.m. service in the parish hall, across from the sanctuary, for friendship, coffee, and goodies. We are famous for a good spread!

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The Reverend Johnnette Shane