SUNDAY WORSHIP
Worship at Church of the Advent strives to be prayer-filled, beautiful, and timeless. Our worship could be described as traditional or classic; it is also responsive to the needs of the gathered people and makes room for life’s joys and sorrows in authentic, safe and holy ways.
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer for Dog WalkersOne of the common sights on Logan Boulevard every morning of the week is neighbors taking their dogs for a walk. The Advent Community invites you (whether you have a dog or not!) to Morning Prayer. Following the format of the Episcopal Church’s Book of Common Prayer, this twenty minute service of scripture reading, prayer and meditation is all the more meaningful because our pets can be with us. Water and pet treats are served after the service, and humans get a snack, too!
10:00 a.m. Sunday Worship with Holy CommunionWe love music and we love to sing! While the primary language of our worship service is English, we are comfortable blending English and Spanish in our worship of God, and have been doing so for over thirty years.
In addition to our ordained leadership, there are currently seven trained lay people who serve as preachers on Sundays (the norm at the Advent is for ordained and lay preachers to alternate weeks). Along with our cultural richness and love of music, this is one of the unique qualities of our community. Even over a few Sundays, you can hear a diversity of preaching voices, messages and styles that even some larger churches do not offer..
Our celebration of Holy Communion is open to all people, regardless of their faith tradition. We believe that if people are hungry for God in their lives, God reaches out to them. We’ve experienced that ourselves, and hope that you do, too.
Our gathering for the Lord’s Day continues in our Fellowship Hall in the lower level of the church building, where we can enjoy refreshments, meet new folks and continue the week-to-week sharing of our lives together. Learning opportunities and community conversations often take place during our fellowship time.
If you need help following the service, don’t be afraid to ask folks nearby. Above all, be comfortable; you’re in the company of friends and fellow travelers in faith.
The Episcopal Church and our Anglican tradition uphold an old saying: “Praying shapes belief.” How we pray and worship as a community expresses our belief, and also shapes our journey of believing. When we are asked, “What do you believe?” it begins simply by showing up, entering into the community’s shared life of prayer, and experiencing – from the inside out – the life of God in Jesus. It is the same simplicity of “showing up” and being available that shows what we really believe when we serve at the Saturday Lunch Program, or are open to questions in our weekly Bible Study, or offer a donated coat to a person in need from the Clothing Closet.
There are, of course, many ways to explore “What do you believe?” AnglicansOnline.org is an excellent resource to explore this question.
An equally excellent resource can be found on the Episcopal Church’s national website.
The good news is that Christianity is a group sport! Learning (and believing) on your own is a crucial part of your faith journey, right along with sharing your questions and celebrating your discoveries with Christians in community. Wherever you are in your journey of faith, it would be a privilege for the Advent Community to believe with you.