Worship

On Sunday mornings we gather together to worship, pray, and hear God’s word. As Anglicans, we follow a certain form of worship (or “liturgy”) that Christians have used for hundreds of years throughout the world. Our Sunday morning service is either a service of Morning Prayer or Holy Communion, following the 1662 Book of Common Prayer: International Edition. These services rehearse the gospel through rhythms of confession, assurance, praise, receiving Christ in his word and sacrament, giving our alms and offerings, and offering up our prayers of intercession.

We are a warm and friendly congregation, and we invite you to remain afterwards for conversations and refreshments.

Throughout the service the congregation is active, praying corporate prayers, saying responsive readings, singing hymns and psalms, listening to the Word read and preached, gratefully going forward to receive the Lord’s Supper, kneeling, standing, and sitting. In worship we are not spectators but participants—the Book of Common Prayer helps us to remember that.

Another key feature of our Prayer Book worship is that it is shaped and structured by the church year: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension, Whitsunday (or Pentecost), Trinity Sunday, and Trinitytide, along with the red-letter feast days devoted to the memory of certain saints of the New Testament. See here for a helpful explanation of the church year.

Location and Parking

All are welcome to join us as we meet to worship, pray, and hear God’s word. Our Sunday morning worship service is held at 11:00am. We meet in the building of Milwaukee Evangelical Covenant Church, which is located at 7727 W Center St, Milwaukee, WI 53222, about a mile north of Tosa Village and a fifteen minute drive from downtown Milwaukee. Parking is on-street.

Dress

On a Sunday morning you will find that some dress more formally (collared shirt, dresses) while others dress more informally (T-shirt, jeans).

Children

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me” (Matthew 19:14). Children of all ages are very welcome in our worship services. We delight to hear the sounds and voices of the littlest members of God’s people! A nursery is available for parents to use with their own children as needed.

The Lord’s Supper

In the Anglican tradition, the Lord’s Supper is “a sign of the love that Christians ought to have among themselves” (Article 28). But it is more than that. It is “a sacrament of our redemption by Christ’s death”—which means that to everyone who “rightly, worthily, and with faith” receives these elements of bread and wine, “the bread which we break is a partaking of the body of Christ, and likewise the cup of blessing is a partaking of the blood of Christ” (Article 28; 1 Corinthians 10:16). Because it is such a serious thing to come to this spiritual feast, the Apostle Paul warns us that we should only come prepared (1 Corinthians 11:27-34). Preparation for communion is explained in the catechism in the Book of Common Prayer:

Question. What is required of those who come to the Lord’s supper?
Answer. To examine themselves – whether they truly repent of their former sins, steadfastly purposing to lead a new life; have a lively faith in God’s mercy through Christ, with a thankful remembrance of his death; and are in charity with all men.

To receive, please come forward at the indicated time. Hold out your hands for the bread and eat it when it is received. Remain for the wine. We partake of the wine from a common cup, which has been the Anglican custom for more than four centuries.

If you are from another Christian church, and have been baptized and are admitted to communion in that church, you are invited to the Lord’s Table.