Episcopalians - may I have some advice?

[Master Mason]

I wasn't raised to be anything, when I was older and went looking for a church, we found a home in the episcopal church... my two boys and I were all baptised on the same day.... Although I am not really active at this time, when I go to a church it is always an episopal one if I am doing the choosing...

 

[christineann]

I bleeped womb because I thought the moderators would do it if I didn't. I used the name of a bug - the longer name for roach - a while back and got bleeped, so I just wanted to be safe.

 

[RadioFanatic]

thanks again to all for your wonderful responses - they really have us thinking.

And I love Robin Williams' top ten - what a hoot!

 

[sanctus]

Just wanted to say Welcome! Another cradle Episcoplian checking in. I love the liturgy and ritual of the service, I love the Book of Common Prayer. I love that the church is actually connected to the realities of life....living together, homosexuality, that women do more than make babies and potluck dinners.

Coming to the Episcopal church from the Catholic church, you will find it feels much like "home" to you. I cantored for years for a Catholic church and found the services to be more alike than different.

On the communion for small children issue: When my mother questioned this when I was little, saying children didn't understand communion, the priest told her, "They don't understand nutrition either, and still we feed them." LOL
It's about the communion being an inclusive place.

 

[Galahad]

"They don't understand nutrition either, and still we feed them." LOL
It's about the communion being an inclusive place.

I love that!

DW and I are Methodists (another descendant denomination of the Church of England and the Episcopal church). DW grew up Episcopal and me mostly Presbyterian. The Methodist church seemed a good melding for us - the doctrine is essentially the same as the Episcopal Church but it is less formal and such.

In college I attended what they called at the time a "high church" Episcopal church (don't know if they still use that term). What they meant by that is that the services and ceremonies were very Roman Catholic-like in feel and tradition. I really loved that church and it was exactly the perfect place for me in college. I visited that church last week when I took DS to the college for a "college-visit". It's growing, which is great to see for a mainline church! Anyway, I highly recommend it as well. Very inclusive and welcoming but it won't seem foreign to you at all.

 

[nuttylawprofessor]

There are three types of Episcopal Churches:

High and crazy

Middle and hazy

Low and lazy



We all welcome you!

 

[nordkin]

Converted Roman Catholic here. In my opinion the things to look at are, is the church Rite One or Rite Two because they are very different, do they use the 1928 Prayer Book and not the Book of Common Prayer, how many services do they have on Sunday and are the services different, and finally, do I feel comfortable. We have been members of 3 different churches in the last 10 years because the Rectors have changed and we did not like the direction the congregation went with the change. The best advise I can give you is attend many different parishes until you find the one that fits. They are different.

 

[NYBlue1]

I would contact your areas bishop and enquire the kind of church you are looking for, as many have stated here the church is in a flux right now. There are churches that embrace the more liberal views of the church and those that dont, you want to make sure you join a more progressive congregation than one that is fighting that progression. I have recently moved and thats how I found my new church, which was good because the one I was going to pick just but location is more old traditional, I would have been miserable there.

 

[goofygirl]

Good info on high, low, broad and Anglo-Catholic churches:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_church

 

[Deb in IA]

And our former rector described "high" church as "Smells (incense) and bells!"

 

[MerryPoppins]

And our former rector described "high" church as "Smells (incense) and bells!"

That's what we say about Christmas and Easter. Good ol' smells and bells. I enjoy the pageantry, but I wouldn't want it every week. Just my preference.

 

[nuttylawprofessor]

We would have had the smells in my former parish, but the elderly parish members couldn't handle "the air pollution." There is a parish in Chicago that is so high church, it still has mass in Latin.

 

[goofygirl]

So can this be the Official Episcopalian Thread of the DIS? It would be cool if this became an ongoing thread where we all checked in every week!

 

[swilphil]

I have another, related question. I am Roman Catholic, happy and satisfied with my faith. In the town in which I practice medicine, there is a church that calls itself Anglican Catholic, not Episcopalian. How does that fit into the picture, that is, how is that different in faith and practice from the churches labeled Episcopalian. We have also Episcopalian churches in the community. Thanks.

It could mean two things. The Episcopal Church in America is part of the Anglican Community, and Anglican Churches that have been here for a long time follow the "old" 1928 prayer book with all the 'thees' and 'thous.' I also believe it's more high church with incense, etc.

There is a 'new' Anglican Church in our area that had been an Episcopal Church until recently. It broke with the Episcopal church after a gay man was chosen as the Bishop of New Hampshire. It was the largest Episcopal Church in our state and withdrew all the money from the Diocese, which has had a huge impact on the Diocese's outreach program on a local, national and international level.

I'm a cradle Episcopalian (my parents met at the church where I grew up). I love many things about the church as a whole. I strongly recommend visiting a few different Episcopal churches because they can range from very conservative (at least in appearance) high brow churches to more liberal contemporary churches. Find one that is family oriented and where you feel comfortable with the members of the church (seems like the clergy changes every 5 to 10 years).

 

[MerryPoppins]

Sherri, as a child I attended St. Michael's and All Angels (I believe in Overland Park). Many members of my family still live in the area and we visit my cousin's church when we are up there, but I can't think of the name off the top of my head. Are you in Kansas City, KS or Kansas City, MO? Just curious. Sorry to hijack the thread.

 

[swilphil]

Sherri, as a child I attended St. Michael's and All Angels (I believe in Overland Park). Many members of my family still live in the area and we visit my cousin's church when we are up there, but I can't think of the name off the top of my head. Are you in Kansas City, KS or Kansas City, MO? Just curious. Sorry to hijack the thread.

My husband and I have been going to St. Michael's for about 8 years, though not much lately. Many of my friends at church have been going there since they were kids (I might know some of your old church peers). I grew up going to St. Paul's at 40th and Main, though I grew up much closer to St. Michael's. Christ Church is the big Episcopal Church in Overland Park, but it was the one I mentioned had changed to Anglican. St. Andrew's is another big Episcopal Church in the city. It's in Missouri, but just a few blocks from State Line Road.

 

[MerryPoppins]

I don't remember much about going to St. Michaels except the songs we used to sing in Sunday School. And my classroom, I could take you directly to it even today. We moved to Oklahoma when I was six. But I still have fond memories of singing the songs I learned for my family. One of my favorites was Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam, but I thought it was sun bean. When I taught preschoolers, I often remembered those days.

I asked my mom and she says my cousin and aunt go to St. Thomas. I should have remembered that, but the name escaped me.

My son was up there summer before last to take part in Missionpalooza. He helped work on a Habitat for Humanities house. I guess that's on the Missouri side, but I know some of the Kansas City, KS churches help out.

Ah, this thread is nice. It's good to find yet another way I have ties to fellow DISers.

 

[goofygirl]

You all have fun at church tomorrow! What time's Eucharist?

Mine is 10:30.

 

[MerryPoppins]

Sunday School is 9:30 followed by Eucharist at 10:30. I had to miss this Sunday and I hate that. DD is in the high school musical and I had to have her hair ready about the time we get out of church. She didn't feel like wearing her hair in a bun at church with tons of hairspray and a huge rose so we took the week off. Hopefully we can fit it into the schedule next week. It's the final performance next Sunday but it doesn't start until 2:00, so I bet she won't have to be there until 12:00. Might work.

How many regular services does your church have each week? We have two Sunday morning and one Sunday evening. I think they still do a Wednesday morning service, but it's just a handful of people that attend before Bible study. Sunday evening is a more contemporary service.