an inclusive community, sharing the love of God in Christ
© Holy Family Episcopal Church
Service times
Join us Sunday at 9AM
Worship
Come worship with us!
The Bible records that, from the earliest time, gathering
for prayer, song, and sharing a ritual meal is important
for Christians. Our worship is alive with the realness of
where each of us come from and what is happening in our
lives, names our hopes for the world and our lives, and
yet has roots that go deep into the earliest rituals
Christians used to worship God, to learn more about their
faith, to foster a habit of prayer, and and to learn to walk
in love with one another.
Come visit as you are, and you will find that we are
casual, curious, and committed: (you may read a guide
about our typical Sunday service here):
•
We are CASUAL as a small, intimate fellowship of
Christians. What you wear isn't so important to us as
whether you feel welcomed when you come, and
worshipful as you pray with us.
•
We are CURIOUS in that we raise questions, make
room for honesty about our doubts and fears, and
how to grow in faith through those doubts and fears;
and our curiosity fuels our desire to learn more from
God, from each other, and even from you!
•
We are COMMITTED, and our casualness should not
imply that we lack intentionality of faith: we strive
to walk the walk every day, serving the poor,
marching for justice, and letting our lives outside
church be formed by the things we say and hear in
worship at church.
And we laugh sometimes too.
Worship reminds us that we are each uniquely gifted and
loved by God, and that we are part of something bigger
than ourselves. Worship helps connect us to that
something bigger. Worship reminds us that we are beloved
of God, and that we have the capacity to love others.
We invite you to come and participate as fully as you like
(or not). See what we do, and feel free to ask us
questions about why we do things the way we do and how
doing them supports our spiritual journeys.
Like most churches, we will have some music and song,
some readings from the Bible, some prayers for the needs
of the world and our community. Most Sundays, we also
share "Holy Communion" (a ritual sharing of homemade
bread, and wine, which represents for us the way Jesus'
taught and lived holy love.
If you come from a "liturgical" or "high church" tradition,
you may find our rhythm of worship familiar. If you don't
know what "liturgical" or "high church" mean, that's okay,
come and see. Those of us who come regularly have
memorized parts of the service, and visitors may
sometimes feel a little lost when seeing others saying
things from memory. We also juggle some books (hymnals,
prayerbooks, etc.). Feeling lost is okay - don't feel like
you have to do anything perfect, other than just be
yourself with us. Many of us were new to this form of
worship at some point, and felt a little lost ourselves. But
it meant something to us anyway, so we kept returning,
and over time, as we allowed the prayers and songs to
wash over us, we started to feel more comfortable
participating without getting lost. We hope that,
whether you visit us once, or decide to become a
member, you will be able to pray deeply, experience
some joy and peace, and feel welcomed by God (and us).
After the worship service, please join us for "Coffee Hour"
(we have more than coffee, though!). You know you are
"family" when you are invited into the kitchen! At Holy
Family, we gather in the kitchen after church to have
coffee and share stories in a casual atmosphere. This is a
time when we get to know one another better, and
periodically, we may have a program on a particular
topic.
Like many Christians, we observe special days - Holy Days
- that are more solemn. Sometimes they are more
celebratory, like Christmas and Easter. Other times, they
are more somber, inviting us to reflect on where things
are going wrong in our life and the world, and what we
can do to get back on track, days like "Ash Wednesday",
Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday. These Holy Days offer
a balance as we mark the year.
Holy Family Episcopal Church
Half Moon Bay, California
1590 South Cabrillo Hwy
Half Moon Bay, CA
(650) 726-0506
1590 South Cabrillo Hwy
Half Moon Bay, CA
(650) 726-0506