Sunday Mornings

Worship is not just the work of the clergy and the musicians, it is the work of the whole congregation. You’ll notice that our congregation is very active during worship. We sing, pray, speak aloud, sit, kneel, and stand. Don't feel intimidated. We use printed bulletins as guides to our worship services. They contain everything you need to fully participate in the service, even if it’s your first time visiting an Anglican church.

Our approach to worship services is rooted in the historical Anglican tradition and The Book of Common Prayer (2019). The standard service for Sunday morning is Holy Communion, a liturgy with hymns, readings from Scripture, prayers, a sermon, and the Lord’s Supper. The service usually lasts for approximately one hour.

The first major portion of our Sunday service is dedicated to the reading and preaching of Scripture. We follow the lectionary from The Book of Common Prayer (2019), which serves as a reading plan for the church throughout the year. You can expect to hear readings from the Old Testament, the Psalms, the New Testament, and the Gospels each Sunday.

Following the readings, the preacher will deliver a sermon typically lasting fifteen to twenty minutes.

Communion (or, the Lord’s Supper) is a central component of our worship service each Sunday. When it comes time for Communion, we invite everyone to come forward. The ushers will help you find your place at the altar rail. Anyone who is a baptized Christian, living the life of faith is welcome to receive Communion.

When you come forward to receive Communion, stretch out both hands, right over left, and the priest will place a wafer in your hand. You can then consume the wafer and drink from the cup, or you can intinct (dip) the wafer in the wine.

If you are not baptized, or you do not wish to receive Communion, you are welcome to remain seated or come forward for a blessing. To receive a blessing, cross your arms across your chest to indicate that you do not intend to receive communion this time.

While we don't really have a dress code, we do ask that you consider what is appropriate for worship.

A nursery is available for our youngest children and those who may struggle to sit through the entire worship service (6 months to 4 years old). Children may be checked in before the service, and may be picked up before Communion to join their families at the Altar.

Our nursery is staffed by multiple nursery attendants who have undergone background checks and training to create a safe and joyful environment for all of our kids.

Music at Church of the Ascension is drawn from both traditional and contemporary styles of music. You can expect acoustic instruments and singable melodies played at a modest volume. Our bulletins contain lyrics for all our hymns and service music.

While our liturgy incorporates a wide range of musical styles, songs are always selected for the richness of their theology, the aesthetic of their music and poetry, and a prevailing emphasis on God. Song selection also reflects the scripture readings of the day, as well as the themes of the liturgical season.

We aim to worship God not only with all our hearts, but with all our minds as well. To that end, we offer catechesis classes for all ages (and a nursery) before our service. These classes are intended to help us grow in the faith, and to connect the Gospel with our lives.

On-street parking is available throughout the neighborhood. The parking lot on the corner of Broad St. and Oakland Ave. belongs to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and there are only a few spaces available to us along the back wall. The lot on the far side of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (on the corner of Oakland Ave and Highland Ave) has more spaces available to us. We ask that the spaces directly in front of our building be left open for handicap parking.

Click here to see our parking map.