Trinity is now offering two services each Sunday, 8:00 am Rite I and 10:30 am Rite II, both in person and streamed on our YouTube channel, where videos of past services are also available. Throughout the year, we offer other services including outdoor Mass on the Grass and Taize services.
As Episcopalians, each one of us is an important part of the service. We all participate and have some role to play in the liturgy. The congregation sings, prays, and listens together. Some parishioners prepare the church for services by serving on Altar Guild, others participate as members of the choir, while still others serve as ushers or members of the acolyte team. We follow a liturgical calendar that is full of opportunities for celebration, reflection, and growth as followers of The Way.
Sunday Morning Services
As do Anglicans world-wide, each in their own language, Episcopalians worship from The Book of Common Prayer. The service consists of Bible readings, preaching, prayers, and the receiving of Holy Communion which all baptized Christians, including children, are invited to do. If you are new to the Episcopal Church, our Worship FAQ has information about how our worship service is conducted.
The Episcopal Church uses the Book of Common Prayer to unify and organize worship. However, we welcome and join in prayer with people who have different points of view and encourage open dialog. We share a Christian faith that honors the Bible, the traditions of the Church, and God-given human reason.
For each service, celebration or office, scripture is read grounding the experience in the Bible. The Lectionary Page is the reference for the cycle of readings.
Rite I is the traditional form of the Holy Eucharist, a service with Communion at its core. The language is derived from the sixteenth century (roughly contemporary with Shakespeare), but elegant and clearly understood. The service includes readings from Scripture, preaching, prayers for the church and the world, and Holy Communion. During the service, baptized people are invited to take communion and others may come forward during communion for a blessing.
Rite II is the contemporary form of the Eucharist service, again with Communion at its core. The words of the service and the readings from scripture are in contemporary language. The service includes readings from Scripture, preaching, prayers for the church and the world, and Holy Communion. Baptized Christians are invited to share Communion, others to come forward for a blessing.
Other Services
Weekday Morning Prayer is offered Monday-Friday from 9-9:30 a.m. in St. Columba Chapel in the church (enter via Church Street side door.) From August 12-23, 2024, the location in the Foster Room in the Parish House, to allow for Staunton Music Festival construction and rehearsals. This brief, spoken service provides an opportunity to begin your day connected to God through scripture, silence, and prayer. Attend in person or watch live on our Facebook page.
Noonday Prayer is offered online weekly on Tuesdays at 12:00 p.m. For a short live midday prayer service, click on your choice of access: Zoom Meeting or Facebook Livestream.
Evening Prayer is a Daily Office, a service of psalms, scripture readings and prayers. This use of the word “office” comes from the Latin word “opus,” meaning “work”; the Daily Office is the daily prayer work of the church. Evening Prayer may be led by a lay person or by clergy. There is no communion in this service.
Healing Prayer is held once a week and focuses on prayer for the healing of body, mind and spirit. It includes the sacrament of anointing and laying on of hands.
Taize (pronounced Tah-zay) is a style of ecumenical service developed in France following World War II to foster spiritual healing and growth among diverse people. This service of simple music, readings, prayer and contemplation is held by candlelight in the chapel. It is a lay-led service and does not include communion. At Trinity, the services are year-round at 7 pm on the first Tuesday of every month. Please view the Taize Community website for more information.
Mass on the Grass is an informal outdoor service followed by a potluck supper held on Wednesdays during June and July at Trinity Church. Bring something to put on the grill – hotdog, hamburger, veggie burger, etc. This service will include communion if a priest is present.
The Labyrinth
Our labyrinth is located on the Lewis Street side of the church, between the back of the church and the entrance to the Parish House. It is always available for use. Walking a labyrinth is a tool that can be useful to people of all spiritual traditions. An ancient concept, the Christian community often uses labyrinths as a way to engage in our life in Christ using body, mind and soul.
Questions?
To learn more about some of our worship customs and traditions, please visit our Worship FAQ page. We also offer volunteer opportunities for those who would like to assist in conducting worship services. See our Worship Service Volunteers page.
Young Children in Church
Trinity values the presence of the very youngest members of the church family during services. A young child has not yet learned to sit quietly and listen for the still, small voice of God, and their noises and movement can sometimes be distracting. While we would rather they not create a continuous disruption that hampers worship, their natural busyness reminds all of us that God loves and welcomes us even when we are having a hard time sitting still and paying perfect attention. Every one of us learns and grows during a service, no matter our age.
Meanwhile, the child who joins us in the pew each Sunday learns
- That it is important to come to church on Sunday morning;
- That they are a beloved and welcome member of the church family; and
- That although they may not understand every part of the service, the church is a good place to be and they can respond with smiles, songs, prayer, and giving, just as the adults do.
Some families choose to have their children spend part of the service in the nursery, and they leave before communion to bring their children to join the service. This allows the older members of the family to fully attend to much of the service and yet still have the whole family participate in communion together. Other families sometimes bring their young ones for the whole service and sometimes leave them in the nursery. Parents of infants often listen to the sermon while walking back and forth at the back of the church, soothing a young one to sleep. As those of us with little ones know, flexibility is key! There is a children’s corner at the back of the church with books, children’s bulletins, bags of crayons, and other quiet occupations to take to the pew or use in the comfort of the children’s corner. We welcome everyone to join us in worship.