New to St. Timothy's?

What to Expect

Stepping inside the doors of a new church can be a leap of faith on many levels, even for people who've been going to church for a long time. Some of your questions might include:

• Will anyone talk to me? Or will too many people talk to me?
• Will it be easy to leave if I don't enjoy it?
• Will they ask me for money?
• Will it be ok if my kids can't sit still or be quiet the entire service?
• How should I dress?
• Will there be anyone there my own age?
• Does it matter if I'm an Episcopalian?
• Am I welcome if I don't believe?

Whether you've never been to church before, or you're a lifelong church goer, we want you to feel comfortable at St Timothy's, and for you to leave feeling that it's been a stress free, engaging, and enjoyable experience. Below is an overview of what to expect on any given Sunday:

Choosing Which Service to Attend

St Timothy's has four very distinct worship services offering a different approach to worship: all are centered on the Holy Eucharist (Communion) and include music, prayers, and a sermon. Click below for a description of each service:

       7:45 a.m.        9:00 a.m.        10:30 a.m.        5:00 p.m.

When You Arrive

When you arrive at St Timothy's, there is plenty of parking either in the front or back parking lot. As you enter the front doors, you'll be met by some friendly people (we call them "greeters") who'll say hello and hand you a small booklet called The Word Weekly. This is our weekly church newsletter, which features information about upcoming events at St Tim's and a front cover reflection on that Sunday's Gospel readings. Inside The Word Weekly, you'll find a place for you to fill out information about yourself to help us get you more connected with the community: please fill it out and place it in the offering plate or hand it to one of the clergy or greeters. (We promise, this doesn't sign you up for any telemarketing lists, or email spam.)

You'll notice that everyone is dressed comfortably, in anything from "office casual" to flip-flops and shorts. If you arrive early, you'll probably over hear one of our three praise bands warming up for the service.

What about my kids?

Children are always welcome to worship with us at all our services, especially our 9:00 Family Service, which is specifically designed with young children in mind. Childcare is available starting from 9:30 on in our church nursery (called the Ark) if you prefer to worship without your child present. Many parents take their children to the Ark before the 10:30 service.

During the Service

Our service follows the order or most Episcopal services, which use the liturgy found within The Book of Common Prayer. The service usually begins with everyone standing and singing some upbeat music, followed by a welcome and a series of Scripture readings and prayers. You'll notice that throughout many parts of the service, the congregation participates by saying the prayers together: all the words will be in front of you on the large screen, but it's also ok to stand silently if that feels more comfortable.

Towards the middle of the service, one of the clergy will present a sermon, which usually lasts around 15 minutes. (During the 9:00 children's service, we hear a Children's sermon, with all the children coming to the front of the church for an interactive, 4-5 minute lesson.)

After the sermon, there will be announcements, and a celebration of birthdays and anniversaries for the week. Then, the priest will say,

"The peace of the Lord be always with you!"
And the congregation replies: "And also with you!"
Priest: "I invite you to exchange God's peace with one another."

What follows is a joyful, sometimes boisterous time of everyone saying hello to one another, with the phrase "Peace be with you!" Folks get out of their seats, shake hands, hug, say hello.

Next, the ushers collect the offering. We want you to feel welcome as our guest, with no pressure to give. Our regular attendees will put their contributions in the offering plates to pay for our expenses and fund our local and global outreach programs. Even though we hope you'll simply be our guest on your first visit, we do hope you'll drop your Connection card from The Word Weekly into the plate, so we can send you any information you request. If you want to stay anonymous, that's okay, too.

The Holy Eucharist, or Communion, is the final part of our service.

The 10:30 service lasts about an hour (9:00 service with children is about 30 minutes, with adult sermon following). We hope you enjoyed the service!

After the Service

After the 7:45 worship service: People gather for coffee, bagels, and refreshments in Edwards Hall.

After the 9:00 service: Since it can be challenging to listen to an adult sermon if you're a young child, and challenging as a Mom or Dad to listen to an adult sermon while sitting with your young children, adults head over to Edward's Hall (just follow the crowd) for coffee and bagels and to listen to the sermon and have time to chat.

Before heading into the hall, you can drop your children three and under at the Ark, or children four and older can head to one of our children's classes, called Godly Play.

After the 10:30 service: Please join us in Edward's Hall or directly outside (during nice weather) for beverages and refreshments. We hope you'll stay and meet some of us: church is about many things, but at the heart of our worship together at St Timothy's is community and friendship, so we really hope our newcomers can get a taste of the warmth and friendliness so many of us have found at St Tim's.

We hope you'll join us! Please feel free to call us or email if you have any questions.