How to Find us
St. Paul’s is located at the corner of Clay and 7th Streets in downtown Lynchburg.
Newcomers
It can be intimidating to walk into a church for the first time. Maybe you’re new in town. Maybe it’s been a long time since you’ve been to church, or maybe you’ve never been to an Episcopal church.
You’ll Be Welcome
We extend you a warm and unconditional invitation to worship with us. Style of dress is your choice. When you visit us, you will be our respected guest. We will not single you out in an embarrassing way; you may worship God in solitude or engage us with conversation or questions.
Our facilities are code-compliant, so wheelchairs are easily accommodated.
The Order of Worship
We worship God by celebrating the Eucharist, a Greek word meaning Thanksgiving. In the Eucharist, we give thanks for what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. It is also known as Holy Communion, for in it we commune with God and also with each other as the Body of Christ.
First, God’s mighty acts in history are recalled through scripture and applied to our lives in a sermon. Then, by repeating the words and actions of Jesus’ last meal with his disciples, we ourselves join the story and make it our own. In a mystery, bread and wine become the outward signs of inward grace received.
Communion
All baptized Christians, including children and non-Episcopalians, are welcome to receive communion at God’s altar. Ushers will guide you to the altar rail. Clergy or lay ministers will offer you the bread and wine consecrated as the body and blood of Jesus. You may receive the wine from a common cup, or you may intinct by dipping the host in the chalice of wine. If you wish to receive a blessing instead, simply cross your hands over your heart as a signal for the priest. And, if you are not comfortable coming forward to the altar rail, please let an usher know and we will gladly bring the sacrament to you.
You’ll Notice
Episcopalians do move around! We stand, we kneel, we sit. We stand when singing, hearing the Gospel, and affirming our faith by reciting the Creeds. We stand or kneel for prayer to show our humility and gratefulness to God for accepting us as His children. We sit during to listen to the other readings from the Bible, the sermon, and choir anthems.
Clergy and the lay persons leading the service often follow customs such as making the sign of the cross and bowing to the altar to show their love and respect for God. Whether you follow these customs is entirely up to you.