Mission and Ministry

What to Expect on Sunday Morning  

To get you started: There will be a Greeter to welcome you and hand you a bulletin. Don’t be afraid to tell these Greeters you are new or ask them questions.

Q: Where do I sit?

A: You may sit anywhere you like. It’s a good idea to sit near other people so you can see what they’re doing and get a little guidance if you get confused. You can ask any parishioner to tell you where the Sunday School meets or where you can find the washrooms. Fellow parishioners are ready to help.

Q: What about my children?

A: We are family-friendly congregations, and look forward to welcoming you and your children. We feel strongly that children should consider our worship spaces to belong to them as much as to the adults, and so we offer Sunday School in the Pew! Our services include a Children’s focus, and we have Children’s bulletins and Youth bulletins for them to work on. Most Sundays, we have an activity that can be completed in their seats. And if they want to get up and wander around, a children’s area is at the front of the church rather than the back, so you can keep an eye on them.  

Q: What do I do during the service?

A: All of the pews have blue hymn books and green service books to use throughout the service. To make our service as accessible as possible, the entire service is printed in the bulletin that is handed out by the Greeters. All our prayers and readings are included, and we even let you know when people are going to stand up or sit down. We have taken the guess work out of it. Our hymns are easily found in the hymn books.

Q: What do I do at the Offering?

A: Please don’t feel obliged to make an offering on your first visit. Simply smile at the Greeter as he or she passes the Offering plate. We are just glad you are here. If you do choose to give, you can use cash or coins or a cheque. If you’d like to use an envelope, you’ll find one in the little pocket at your place in the pew. If you fill in your name and address, we will mail a charitable receipt to you.

Q: What do I do at the Communion?

A: All are welcome to come forward during communion to receive the bread and/or wine, or to simply receive a blessing, including your young children. When the Greeter comes to your row, if you wish, simply follow your neighbors to the front of the church. If you want just the bread and not the wine, simply cross your arms across your chest when the cup bearer approaches you. If you only want a blessing and no bread or wine, cross your arms across your chest. Then follow the rest of the people at the rail back to your pew.

Q: What do I do after the service?

Feel free to ask any members of the congregation any questions you may have. Likely one of the Church Leaders will notice you are new and say hello. (We call these Church Leaders “Wardens” — a term that simply means they help take care of the church.) Please stay for coffee hour after the service  and mingle with people there. Of course, we understand if you just want to slip out quietly and think about what you’ve experienced.

Q: What Do I Call The Minister?

A: In the Anglican Church, we have many names for the ministers. Here in the Regional Ministry we have a Rector, the Reverend Carrie Irwin and a Priest Assistant, the Reverend Ann Veyvara-Divinski. They are the priests, or clergy people, who are in charge of the parish, lead the services, preach the sermons, and offer pastoral care at the church, in people’s homes, or in hospitals and long term care facilities.  Carrie and Ann are quite happy to be called Carrie and Ann.