What to Expect on Sunday
The church service is at 9 am. This will be live-streamed.
The 9 am service follows the Book of Common Prayer . Many liturgical resources are included. The music and prayers reflect the season in which we find ourselves. There is Holy Communion each Sunday.
You will be provided a worship bulletin that has everything you need in it. There is also a Book of Common Prayer and a Hymnal in the pews. We also have large print bulletins available.
Following the 9 am service, there is Coffee, fellowship, and Faith Formation for All in the Parish Hall.
What is the Service like?
Trinity Episcopal Church expresses its denominational identity in the worship. If you have ever attended a Catholic Mass, or a Lutheran service you will easily recognize what is going on. However, we have been told quite often that attending an Episcopal service is like coming home.
We pray, sing, and listen to the Word read and proclaimed. We also celebrate Holy Communion. Another word for that is the Great Thanksgiving, also known as Eucharist. We give thanks to God for all we have been given, we acknowledge God’s gift of Jesus, and we know that Jesus is really present in the bread that is body, and wine that is blood. All are welcome at God’s table.
We acknowledge that we turn away from God, we miss the mark, and we confess that reality of our lives.
We are sent out to do the work that God gives us to do.
And we welcome all people, no exceptions.
Children in church.
At Trinity we welcome children as full participants in the Body of Christ and trust them with things and moments of great value during worship. We teach them that church is a place where they are safe and loved and they are a vital part of every moment of prayer, praise, joy, and sorrow and they too are sent out to be God’s people in the world.
Some parents delight in having their children worship with them in church. Others, particularly mothers, feel that the presence of their children at worship prevents them from fully entering into and appreciating the experience. The trend certainly is to have children worship with their parents. Here are some thoughts.
Let your child draw or write during the service. Children eavesdrop while doodling and often hear more than we think they do. Sometimes their art is very profound and reflects the readings or something important to them. Ask permission to "turn it in." We love to share children’s artistic reflections!
Sit near the front so your child can see! It is easier to focus if we can see what is going on.
Help your child refocus when his/her attention wanders. "See what the reader/priest/deacon is doing/saying now?"
Help your child follow the service in the Prayer Book or Service Booklet. Help your child learn about the Prayer Book at home so he/she will be comfortable using it during Sunday worship.
Ask restless children to look around and draw what they see...
Ask your child to listen carefully to the Gospel (or another reading) so he/she can retell it or draw it (older children can rewrite the story using their own words.)
Ask your child which hymn he/she likes best. Let your child sit with another adult or family from time to time.
Help your child memorize the Lord's Prayer and the responses such as "And also with you."
Feel free to give your child a break by taking him/her out if you think it is necessary.
Quietly answer your child's questions during the service; it is less disruptive than "shushing."
Children learn from example--be a good role model.
Affirm your child's good behavior in church.
Where do I go once I get there?
Parking - is in the lot at the northwest corner of Atwood and E Court St. After parking, cross Atwood and walk down the sidewalk. OR, on Sundays you may park in the Rock County Courthouse Parking Lot across E Court Street on Wisconsin Ave, cross E Court St at Wisconsin Ave.
To attend church - enter through door 1. Door 3 is handicapped accessible.
Coffee Hour and Sunday School are in Ortmayer Hall, the building on Atwood. Enter through door 8, up the stairs. Door 11 is handicapped accessible, it is the elevator.
The Garden is under the trees between the small building (the offices) and Ortmayer Hall. You get into The Garden by walking between those buildings straight back.
The Labyrinth is behind the church building near door 2.