WORSHIP
In-person worship services are taking place on Sundays at
8 AM (Rite I), and 10:30 AM (Rite II) with music; and on Wednesdays at
12 noon(Rite II with anointing for healing)
Summer Sunday Schedule,
June 19-Sept 4:
One service at 9:30 AM
Most COVID restrictions are lifted. However, masks are still recommended indoors during worship services.
Please click HERE to see our online worship and program offerings. We look forward to seeing you online soon.
Worship at Emmanuel
Worship is at the heart of all that we do at Emmanuel. Our common prayer grounds us, nourishes us, and challenges us to step out into the world and help to build a better world. Each Sunday at 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM (SUMMER SCHEDULE: 9:30 AM Sunday) we worship as one church, united, praising God and celebrating our rich Episcopal history. The service is accompanied by our pipe organ and our choir.
Most of our services come from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, although we also offer services that use different resources. Most of our worship services take place in the Sanctuary, though more casual services take place in our Parish Hall, or in the Garth – a lovely walled Garden of Remembrance in in the center of our complex.
As a community, we are both “spiritual and religious.” Although we have our own times of quiet prayer at home, we find great value in gathering with others for worship on a regular basis. Joining together to lift our voices in praise and/or lament, we become more than our individual selves, and together we are able to find ways to express our deepest longings and offer them to our loving Creator.
Come and worship with us, and add your prayers to ours.
SUNDAY WORSHIP
RITE I 8:00 AM
RITE II 10:30 AM
Choral and Family Holy Eucharist
Church School & Nursery Care
Coffee Hour
SUMMER SCHEDULE:
RITE II with music 9:30 AM
Family Holy Eucharist
Coffee Hour
The Holy Eucharist
According to the Book of Common Prayer, Holy Eucharist is the central act of Christian worship. Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” At Emmanuel Episcopal Church, all are invited to receive Holy Eucharist, the sacrament through which we are united by sharing the body and blood of Christ in consecrated bread and wine. Sharing Communion knits us together and reinforces our commitment to live as Christ taught us.
If you wish to receive a blessing instead, please come to the altar rail and cross your arms over your chest. We welcome and encourage children to receive Communion.
Church In-Person
Our in-person worship services are
Sundays:
8:00 AM, Rite I
10:30 AM, Rite II with music
Summer Schedule, June 19-Sept 4:
One Rite II service at 9:30 AM
Wednesdays:
12 noon, Rite II with anointing for healing.
Masks are recommended but physical distancing requirements are lifted. All are welcome.
Virtual Worship
The 10:30 AM Sunday morning service is live streamed to our "Emmanuel Church, Chester Parish" group Facebook page and posted to our YouTube channel so you may watch from home at your convenience.
Sunday School
Jenny and Alya have taken Sunday School outside! Join them on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays of the month at 10:30 AM, September through May. Children are welcome to join you in church on the 1st Sunday of each month and in the summer.
Wednesday Noon
Eucharist
Each Wednesday at noon, a small group gathers for Eucharist in the Sanctuary. Except for the season of Lent, this is a Rite II service. There is no music, and the priest offers a short reflective reading or talk rather than a sermon. The service lasts roughly 30 minutes, and is a wonderful way to spend part of a lunch hour.
Morning & Evening Prayer
At various times during the liturgical year, and especially during Lent and Advent, groups of parishioners get together for prayer either in the morning or in the evening.
Evensong and
Lessons & Carols
Emmanuel’s Choir offers a service of Evensong three – four times a year. In addition in December each year, they offer a service of Advent and Christmas Lessons and Carols patterned after the service at King’s College Chapel in Cambridge. Many of these events are followed by a dinner or a reception, so the evening ends with both souls and bodies well fed.
Blessings & Special Events
Throughout the year, we offer special services and blessings for various occasions. For example, we have our "Blessing of the Back Packs" in September which starts the new school season for students and teachers. We have our “Blessing of the Animals” service that we do in October. We also have a “Blessing of the Bikes” (motorized and not) in the spring.