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To Our Guests If you are not used to the Episcopal service, please feel free to ask someone near you for assistance during the worship service. Receiving Communion in the Episcopal Church: At the Eucharist, please understand it is not an Episcopal Table, but the Lord's Table. All Baptized Christians are invited to receive Holy Communion when visiting the Episcopal church. When you kneel at the altar rail, place one hand over the other and receive the bread in your open palm, then lift it to your mouth. Take the chalice of wine by the base and guide it to your lips. If you would like, you may receive the bread, wait until the cup is offered, and dip the bread lightly in the cup. Guests who have not been baptized and children who have not begun receiving Communion are invited to come to the altar rail and kneel to receive a blessing. Cross your arms on your chest as a sign that you will not receive Communion. Joining the Church: If you are already an Episcopalian, request a Canonical Letter of Transfer from your former parish to Holy Comforter. Call our church office and the secretary will write a request for your transfer. You become a member when your transfer is received. If you are a baptized member of another Christian church, you should request a letter certifying the date and place of your Baptism from your former church. Call our church office and the secretary will write a request for your transfer. Our receipt of this information enrolls you as a member here. You will be encouraged to be confirmed in the Episcopal Church. Confirmation is administered by the Bishop, and is usually scheduled once a year at Holy Comforter. Classes for inquirers and prospective confirmands include the Alpha Course and a short class on the Anglican/Episcopal church. If you have not been baptized with water in the Name of God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you should arrange to meet with one of the clergy for instruction leading to Baptism and Confirmation. |