INCLUSIVE AND INNOVATIVE

Worship at St. Hilda’s is diverse, inclusive, and innovative.  We have developed services which we are confident will appeal equally to visitors, newcomers, seekers, and long-term members.  See some of our traditions

We have two Sunday morning services.  Our 8:30 service of Holy Communion is traditional, drawing from the time-honored cadences of the Book of Common Prayer, and supplemented by hymns and musical settings familiar to generations of Anglicans.  On the fourth Sunday of the month, we celebrate Matins (Morning Prayer), a mostly sung service of prayers, psalms, and canticles.  The character of our early service is quiet and meditative.

Our 10:00 service is a contemporary one.  We use the Book of Alternative Services as the foundation of our celebration of the Eucharist, but frequently add to or adapt it, drawing from other sources, both Anglican and non-Anglican.  On the fourth Sunday of the month, we celebrate Morning Prayer, frequently focusing our worship that day on a specific theme (such as peace, the environment, Sunday School, etc.).   The character of our contemporary service is celebratory and joyful.  With the exception of the summer months, we have an active and vibrant Sunday School which runs in conjunction with the service.

St. Hilda's follows a cycle of readings in the Liturgy called the Revised Common Lectionary.  Every Sunday we read from the Hebrew Scriptures, the Christian Testament and the Holy Gospel.  The lectionary is a cycle or calendar of readings that goes through much of the Bible in a three year period.  For 2010 we will be in the lectionary cycle for year C.   At various times readings from Good As New: A Radical Retelling of the Scriptures are also used. GAN

Taizé                                                                                                    In addition to these morning services, we also have a Taizé prayer service on the first and third Sundays of the month, starting at 7:00 PM.  This contemplative hour of prayer and Taizé chant is developed and led by the lay members of our Church.

Meditation and Contemplative Eucharist                                              On Wednesday mornings we offer a 1/2 hour period of meditation (11:30 AM - 12:30 PM) followed by a Contemplative Eucharist.                

Through meditation we can learn that life isn't so much about what we are doing, what we are achieving or even becoming.  It's learning to embrace what is.  Finding Peace and Harmony, love and joy.  It's knowing that the Sacred Presence fills and lives in our everyday moments.

Finally, there are special worship opportunities happening throughout the year, on a periodic basis; often combined with programs of education and spiritual formation.

Whatever your spiritual needs may be, we are confident that you will find an opportunity to have them nurtured through our varied styles and approaches to worship.