10 Things to Know About St. Clement’s Episcopal Church
1. We’re glad you’re here! We extend God’s peace to you.
2. We want you to feel at ease. Visiting a church can sometimes feel a bit stressful. But relax — you needn’t worry about doing anything “wrong.” Just participate as much or as little as you’d like. If you’d like to simply observe, that’s fine.
3. New to the Episcopal Church? As part of the the 500-year-old Anglican Communion, we’re sometimes called the via media — or the “middle way” — between Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions. If you come from either of these, you’ll find portions of our service familiar.
4. You’ll find two books in your pew — the Book of Common Prayer and the Hymnal 1982. Episcopalians use both of these books during worship. It can look a bit complicated at first, but after a service or two it’s easy. You’ll find the order of service in your printed bulletin. Feel free to ask someone near you if you’d like some help getting started.
5. We celebrate the Holy Eucharist twice each Sunday –at 8:15 AM and at 10:30 AM. The first is a quiet, reflective service with no music. The second service is a Choral Eucharist with our choirs and hymns. Each Wednesday, we offer Morning Prayer at 7:30 AM. You are welcome at all services.
6. Children are welcome at all St. Clement’s services! If children get noisy or need a break — just exit the sanctuary out the side doors (if weather permits) or out the rear doors, which lead to restrooms and our supervised nursery downstairs. You’ll also find activity bags for smaller kids in two places along the right hand aisle.
7. You can come early, stay late — or both. We offer education programs for adults and children in between the two Sunday services, as well as hospitality with terrific coffee and refreshments following the 10:30 service. Children’s education is downstairs and next door in our “Blue House.” Adult education and coffee hour are held in our Parish Hall at the east end of our building. To get there, head through the arched doorway at the front of the sanctuary (underneath the sign with the hymn numbers).
8. We’d like to help you find your way around. You’ll find coat racks and restrooms in the Parish Hall (east end of the building). More restrooms are also located downstairs, accessible via the rear doors of the church and down the stairs or elevator in the Parish Hall. We have some parking along the alley off Milton Street, but street parking is plentiful most days. Ask anyone for help.
9. We invite you to learn more about us. Sign the Guest Book near the baptismal font. Take your time in exploring this website. Visit us on Facebook. Give us a call. Whether you’re interested in becoming a member of St. Clement’s, searching for your spiritual home, wondering about programs, helping us serve others, looking for a place to plan your wedding — anything — we’ll connect you with the right person.
10. Come again! For more than 100 years, from all directions and for all kinds of reasons, people have come through the doors of St. Clement’s for the first time. We’re thankful if today that person is you. If you’ve already been, we hope you’ll join us again soon.