Worship > Sundays > Road Map to 8 AM Eucharist
Road Map to 8 AM Sunday Eucharist
We welcome you to our 8 AM worship service. It is our hope that this guide will give you a sense of the service and answer any questions you might have, particularly if this is your first time attending an Anglican Church service. If we’ve forgotten something, please ask.
As You Arrive
There are two entrances to our worship space – the front doors on Bloor Street and the ramp entrance on Avenue Road. Pushing the round paddle on the wall to the left of the door at the top of the ramp will open it for you.
Wheelchair accessible washrooms are located to the left as you come in the Bloor Street doors. In the area at the back of the worship space you will find a number of print resources about the parish. It is also in this area that a time of coffee and conversation will take place at the end of the service.
Preparing for Worship
The service takes place at the very front of the church in the space also known as the Chancel. You will find copies of the Book of Alternative Services (BAS), the weekly leaflet, and the offertory plate on a small table at the foot of the steps. Please take a seat in the Chancel wherever you feel most comfortable. You may find it helpful to mark the BAS for the opening part of the liturgy as noted on the first page of the leaflet. The leaflet also contains announcements about upcoming events. Some members of the community will be engaged in quiet conversation while others will sit in silence while they wait for the beginning of the service.
We Gather
We stand as the celebrant (presiding priest) enters the worship space. We then move on to the gathering of the community (page 185 in the BAS) with the collect (collecting our prayers for the day).
To Hear Our Story
Next we sit to hear a story about the origins of our faith, through readings of the Hebrew text (Old Testament), the psalm and the Christian text (New Testament). We stand while the Gospel is read.
We then sit to listen to the sermon where the words of scripture are opened up for us through reflection on what the biblical story has to say to us in this time and place.
To Offer Prayers
After the sermon, we stand. The celebrant will lead us in the Prayers of the People, when we remind ourselves of the needs of our church, our world and those we care about. Prayer is a way of offering to God our deepest yearnings, hopes and concerns for our loved ones, the world and ourselves. The Prayers of the People also invite us to hear God calling us to respond.
On the first Sunday of each month, the Prayers of the People conclude with the General Confession on page 191. The celebrant then invites all those who wish to receive the ministry of laying on of hands to come forward. If you wish to receive these special prayers, move to the area of the worship space indicated by the priest who will quietly ask you "what would you like to pray for?" The celebrant lays his/her hands on your head or shoulder and prays for the specific petition. All may come forward, none must. If you feel a burning desire for a closer experience of healing and prayer, this may be a good opportunity for you. This time of prayer concludes with the Absolution.
Our sharing of the peace is a public expression of forgiveness and mutual service within the community. People may hug or kiss each other, or more commonly shake hands. We usually say “peace be with you”, or simply “peace”. Please do whatever you find most comfortable.
To Offer Thanksgiving
After the peace, we sit. A greeter will pass the collection plate. If you are a visitor and you’d like to make an offering to support our work, please place it in the plate when it reaches you, but please know that this is not an obligation. While the offering is being collected, the celebrant prepares the bread and wine at the table. This is a sign that we are offering our whole lives in thanksgiving.
When the table has been prepared, we stand. The celebrant will lead the congregation through a Eucharistic Prayer (see prayers 1 through 6, Pages 193 to 210). Following this prayer of thanksgiving, we say a version of the Lord’s Prayer (page 211).
After the bread is broken and the wine poured, it is shared. Everyone is welcome to receive communion, regardless of religious affiliation or age. If you wish to receive communion move forward to form a semi-circle in front of the altar, receiving the wafer and eating it; helping the chalice bearer to guide the chalice to your mouth to have a sip of wine. Please note: gluten-free wafers are available. Please let the celebrant know and they will offer you one. It is customary to say Amen after receiving.
If you would like to receive a blessing instead of receiving communion, you can indicate this to the celebrant by crossing your arms in front of you as indicated in the picture below.
To be Sent Out into the World
The prayer after communion reminds us of our responsibility to ministry in the world. The service concludes with a dismissal.
Following the Service
A time of coffee and conversation follows the worship service in the space at the back of the church. Please join us for coffee or wander around the space looking at the stained glass windows, if you wish. A member of the community or the celebrant will be pleased to answer any questions you might have.
To download a PDF version of this road map, please click here.