Worship

The Regular Sunday Schedule
8:00 a.m. ~ Eucharist or Holy Communion (Rite I) No music
9:30 a.m. ~ Sunday School
9:45 a.m. ~ Holy Eucharist (Rite II) Sung, with hymns and choir
                              What to Expect
When visitors come to St. John’s they are greeted at the door and may take a seat in any pew.  We praise the Lord in song, and listen to the Scripture.  We offer prayers for our own needs and those of others.  There is Holy Communion at both Sunday services.  All baptized persons from all church backgrounds are welcome to receive the Holy Sacrament with us.  After the service there is a coffee hour in the parish hall.  "Rite I " is traditional "King James" English. ("And with thy spirit.") "Rite II " is Contemporary. ("And also with you.")

Family Service
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The first Sunday of each month from October through June, during the 9:45 a.m. Holy Eucharist, all children are encouraged to sit with their families and participate from the beginning of the service.  The photo above is from our Earth Day Family Service on May 1, 2011, where the children learned how the natural world is included in our worship service.

Midweek 
Weekday Eucharist & Bible Study 10:00 a.m. Thursdays
(Other Bible Studies take place in homes. Please see the bottom of the Home Page for details.)


Church Seasons, Holy Days, and Special Services

Our worship throughout the year unfolds the story of Jesus Christ.  Easter Day celebrates the rising from the dead of our Savior. It is preceded by a season of preparation and repentance: Lent.  And for seven weeks following Easter we celebrate in a special way the joy of new life in God's love and forgiveness.
Christmas Day on December 25 is the focus of our thanks for Jesus coming into this world.
It is preceded by four Sundays of preparation ( Advent) and the celebration extends to January 6th (coming of the Wise Men) and the Sunday following: the Baptism of Jesus in the river Jordan. 

The Sacraments
Baptism 
Baptism is the initial sacrament of incorporation into the Christian Church.  Parents wanting a child baptized at St. John’s should regularly attend Sunday worship.  There will be a session of preparation for the parents and godparents of children who will be baptized.

                       Welcoming the newly-baptised.


Adults are prepared for baptism by a longer program.  Individually, adult candidates for baptism meet with the priest for a period of time and with a sponsor for bible study and an introduction to the basics of Christian prayer and living.  There is a group formed every January to prepare for Easter baptisms, and this group meets at least 11 times before Easter.

Baptisms are normally celebrated on Easter, Pentecost (50 days later), near Nov. 1, and the Sunday after January 6.  Other times are also available. If you are interested in baptism at St. John’s contact Father Mark Miller at 360-568-4622.

Communion or the Holy Eucharist
Our weekly Sunday services are always the Holy Eucharist.  (It means "Thanksgiving") This form of worship is fundamentally about communion, with God, and with each other in God's love.  It is at the same time the regular and continually repeated personal affirmation of being baptized.  The scriptures are read and preached, and we pray for the needs of the world and our local concerns.  The bread and wine, the stuff of the earth and the product of human work are taken to the Altar and "given".  God is thanked for all of God's love for us, and the Gifts are returned to us as communion with God and God's own gift of himself to us. This joyous sharing is expressed in hymns and music, beauty, stillness and symbol.

Confirmation
In the course of our Christian development Baptized Christians can renew their Baptismal vows.  Those baptized at a young age may, after instruction, make a mature public affirmation of the responsibilities of their Baptism.

Youth Confirmation classes are held in anticipation of the Bishop's visitation to the parish, every 18 months.  These reaffirmations are made in the presence of the Bishop, representing the larger church, and the bishop confers the laying on of hands with prayer.

Those baptized as adults normally also make this baptismal affirmation before the Bishop, and receive the laying on of hands. Likewise, those coming to the Episcopal church from other Christian traditions which do not practice confirmation, also are presented after due preparation.

All Christians may, at important turning points in their Christian life, want to reaffirm baptism, and also can come before the Bishop for prayer and blessing of the laying on of hands.

Adult Confirmation, as with adult preparations for Holy Baptism, is a longer process, but concludes with an eleven-week series of classes prior to the Easter Vigil each year. They are confirmed by the bishop the following week.

Marriage at St. John’s
For more information about the celebration and blessing of a marriage at St. John’s, please call Father Mark Miller at 360-568-4622 to make an appointment.  Guidelines for weddings at St. John’s are available on request at info@stjohnsnohomish.org.

Visits and Sacraments for the Sick
The sacraments may be brought to someone who is ill at home or in the hospital. Call the church office at 360-568-4622 to make arrangements.