Third Sunday Morning Service Added

We are happy to announce that we are offering a third worship service on Sunday mornings at St. Anne’s at 11:15 am, beginning in January. This Holy Eucharist from the Book of Common Prayer with music and sermon will be a more formal service than the 9:45, often with incense, special music, and parts of the service sung. Morning Prayer will be offered from time-to-time.

Adding this service helps us to reach out to people who are not currently attending St. Anne’s because the earlier service times are too early or they are interested in something more stately than our wonderful lively 9:45 service.

Beginning January 10, 2010, our Sunday Worship schedule will be:

• We can reach people not currently worshipping at St. Anne’s. A later time and a service with a different feel allows us to touch people who may be looking who may be looking for a more formal Episcopal service.
  
• It expands our opportunities for ministry. An additional Sunday morning service allows us to engage more parishioners in liturgical ministries, (such as singing, reading, acolyting, ushering, leading prayer, serving on Altar Guild) and to connect more people with other St. Anne’s ministries.
  
• Research on church attendance shows that churches that offer a variety of worship options are growing churches.
  
• We will experience more of the fullness of our Episcopal worship traditions.
  
• We can share the good news of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ with more people.

• The 11:15 worship service does overlap with Sunday School and Sunday Forum. However, many people who do not currently attend either church or Sunday Forum may wish to try an 11:15 worship service. Many parents in our larger community may wish to attend church and have their children in Sunday School at the same time.
  
• In the future, with the desire and people to facilitate, we can add educational opportunities to complement the 11:15 worship time. Many large churches have multiple tracks for education as well as worship.

• The intention is to bring new people to worship, not to spread out our current population.
  
• The 11:15 worship service will have a different feel. People who prefer a livelier, fully intergenerational service will most likely prefer 9:45; people who prefer a more stately service will most likely choose the 11:15.
  
• Research shows that our 9:45 worship time is currently above the capacity where we should be adding a service. Once worship space is 50-80% full, newcomers may perceive that there is no room for them, even though there actually is.

• Gid and I are committed to offering this service throughout the next church year (except for the usual changes to our summer schedule) weekly and in a consistent style. It may take awhile for the service to reach a comfortable core Sunday attendance but we will not change the style or cancel the service during 2010.

• The 11:15 service is a logical outgrowth of St. Anne’s worship style and traditions. It can be offered by our current staff without large additional expenses. Offering a worship service that is very different from our current style, in a different location (such as the parish hall), or at a different time (for example Saturday night) would take much more time, planning, money, and additional staff. These don’t make changes in the future impossible, but this 11:15 service is the next logical step in our growth.
  

• Contact the clergy or the ministry area head of the ministry you would like to be involved with. We will need acolytes, ushers, lectors, Lay Eucharistic Ministers (chalice bearers), prayer leaders, welcomers and more to help us get started.
  
• Pray for the success of this ministry and that new people will experience God’s grace and love through their experiences of all our worship services.