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(Frequently Asked Questions)
How does the Episcopal Church differ from other churches?
The Episcopal Church has historically chosen the middle way between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism and Saint Mary Magdalene reflects this in that many of our members come from a Catholic background. If you come from a Protestant background, you will probably find our service to be a bit more participatory, but otherwise not too different from other Protestant Churches. Our Spiritual leaders are priests, can be married, and are called Father for male priests, and Mother for female priests. We also have clergy known as Deacons who among other duties assist the Priest during our Services.
How is the Episcopal Church organized?
The world church is organized in a loose confederation called the Anglican Communion which is headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Within this communion, each country has a separate organization, in our case the ECUSA or Episcopal Church of the USA. Within the ECUSA the country is divided into dioceses by geographic area, in our case Southwest Florida presided over by a Bishop, the Rt. Rev. John B. Lipscomb. Within a diocese there are divisions know as Deaneries and within Deaneries the local church level is known as a Parish.
For further details on these two questions see the following article
Our Church
Saint Mary Magdalene is located at :
Bradenton, Fl 34202
We are Located near the SW Corner of Lakewood Ranch Blvd. and SR70 about 2 miles East of Exit 217 of Interstate 75. Please click the link above for a map to our exact location.
Our Church was started in a nearby building in 1996 and has been in its current location since 2000.
Our services are held on Sunday morning at 8:00 AM (Rite I), 10:00AM (Rite II), and Wednesday at 10 AM (Rite II) - with Healing Service.
What programs are available for young people at your Church?
We offer a Christian education program (after the 10:00 service) and a Children's Chapel program (during the 10:00 service) for pre kindergarten through 5th grade.
Youth Group is held on Sunday night from 6:30 – 8:30 pm. This program is open for students’ from sixth grade through graduation. The night starts off with an activity that allows us to hang out and is good fun. The next part of the program is fellowship and dinner. The last section of the night we spend in discussion and/or bible study. We do have special events such as movie nights, lock-ins, weekend retreats, etc
Is child care available during your services?
Child care is available.
The gospels tell us that Mary Magdalene was at the Crucifixion of Jesus and that she was the first to discover the Risen Christ.
One tradition concerning Mary Magdalene says that following Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, she used her position to gain an invitation to a banquet given by Emperor Tiberius Caesar. When she met him, she held a plain egg in her hand and exclaimed "Christ is risen!" Caesar laughed, and said that Christ rising from the dead was as likely as the egg in her hand turning red while she held it. Before he finished speaking, the egg in her hand turned a bright red and she continued proclaiming the Gospel to the entire imperial house.
We are proud that the church bears her name.
For further information see this Wikipedia article
First, here is a little background. The Episcopal Church periodically publishes a book called The Book of Common Prayer which is used as the basis for our services. In 1978, the last time the BCP was revised, several alternative ways of conducting services were authorized. Rite I is a traditional service based on the the previous (1928) BCP, while Rite II is more contemporary in nature.
I notice that your services are called Holy Eucharist. What does that mean?
Although it literally means "thanksgiving", the current usage is "communion service".
I'm not an Episcopalian, can I attend?
Of course you can. We would love to have you attend our services and worship with us.
No, our members run the gamut from semi-formal to relatively informal, although shorts and t-shirts are rarely seen.
What should I do when I get to the church?
When you are greeted at the door by one of the ushers, let him or her know that you are visiting. You will be asked to sign our Guest Book and given a name tag. Don't worry, all our members also have name tags. If you have any questions ask the ushers. You will be given a worship leaflet, then invited to enter the sanctuary. After the service, as you leave the Church, you will have an opportunity to meet the Priest, please also be sure to take a visitor welcome bag which contains additional information about our Church and all the programs that we offer.
The governing body of our church is a group called the Vestry which is made up of a group of elected lay people and the Priest. Reporting to and responsible to the Vestry are a number of groups which handle duties within the church such as selection and training of lay readers and acolytes, setting up the altar, ushers, communications, outreach and various other programs.
I'm interested in learning more. What can I do?
We periodically hold inquirer classes to provide more information for people who wish to join us in our worship. Please check with the church office for information concerning the time of the next class.
In addition, there are a number of books available concerning the history and practices of the Episcopal Church such as:
Those Episkopols by Dennis Maynard
Welcome to the Episcopal Church by Christopher L. Webber
Welcome to Sunday by Christopher L. Webber
Welcome to the Church Year by Vicki K, Black
Welcome to the Book of Common Prayer by Vicki K Black
www.holycross.net/anonline.htm is an excellent source of Episcopal Terminology and has been used extensively in preparing this FAQ. Check the Links page of this site for other sources of information.
Are there volunteer opportunities?
There are a number of opportunities, depending on your availability and interests.
The Service
The purpose of our service is to worship God. In doing this, we tend to be more participatory than other denominations. We stand for hymns, prayers and the reading of the Gospel. We greet each other following The Peace, and we approach the altar for Communion.
As you enter the church, proceed down the aisle to your seat. Before you enter the row of seats many people will bow toward the altar as a sign of respect to God. Feel free to take any available seats. When you are seated take a moment to look at the worship leaflet you were given at the door. It has most of the information you will need.
Below the seat in front of you will see two books. One is a hymnal, and the other, with the cross on the front is The Book of Common Prayer which is the source of much of the information in your leaflet but will not be required to follow the service. There should also be a request for information card which you can fill out and place in the collection plate.
Our service starts with the Processional Hymn during which the Choir (present for the 10:00 Service only), Acolytes, Deacon and Priest will proceed toward the altar. Following the Hymn, the Acclamation or Greeting is given by the Priest, followed by the Collect, which can be found in the insert in the worship leaflet.
We will then have the Readings, usually one from the Old Testament followed by a Psalm, and a second reading, usually Epistle. After the Second Reading another Hymn will be sung during which the Book containing the Gospels will be moved up the center aisle. It is customary to always face the Gospel Book, and remain standing as a sign of respect for the Word of God.
The service will continue with the Sermon, followed by the Nicene Creed, and the Prayers of the People, lead by a member of the Congregation. After the Prayers, the Priest leads us in the Confession.
The Peace is next in our order of worship; It is customary to greet those around you with a handshake and an expression such as "Peace" or "the Peace of the Lord"
The first portion of our Worship is concluded with the Offertory.
The second part of our service consists of Holy Communion. We invite you to participate in this sacrament if you are a Baptized Christian. If not, we invite you to approach the altar with your arms crossed over your chest and receive a blessing from the Priest. If you feel uncomfortable with either of these actions, feel free to remain in your seat.
If you are receiving communion, approach the altar with hands extended and cupped over each other, palms up. The minister will place a wafer in your cupped palm and say "The Body of Christ, the bread of heaven." Follow the person who was in front of you to the Chalice Bearer. You may do one of three things, any one of which is correct. You may eat the wafer and then using one hand to steady the chalice sip from it, or you may dip the wafer in the chalice and then eat it, or you may continue to have the wafer in your palm in which case the Chalice Bearer will take it from you, dip it in the chalice and place the wafer in your mouth. In any case the Chalice Bearer will say "The Blood of Christ, the Cup of Salvation." You may then return to your seat.
After Communion is completed, a final blessing and a Closing Hymn conclude the Service.
As you prepare to leave please consider having coffee with us at the back of the Church (10:00 Service only) and be sure to introduce yourself to our Priest before departing.
An excellent overall description of our service and its significance may be found in the Annotated Holy Eucharist.