The heart of Christian community is Eucharist, the celebration of God’s own self-offering to us in bread and wine. Table fellowship is therefore also the central image for nurturing our congregational life together as a community of care, and also for the ongoing work of being shaped to offer ourselves in Gospel-service to a world in need. Just as each of us is formed and transformed by divine love at the Table, we extend that love to each other in our life together as members of the Body of Christ and around all sorts of tables where we share food and fellowship.

Anglican forms of Christianity (rooted in the English Reformation of the 16^th century) offers forms of liturgical worship that range from “stately and Elizabethan” to “charismatic, contemplative, and contemporary.” All Saints’ Parish draws from nearly all points on that spectrum for Sunday morning worship that is rooted in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer and some more recent sources. We also seek to expand our lives of common prayer and shared worship to meet a wider array of needs, to offer a variety of musical styles, and to grow in our understanding of the unfathomable mystery of God’s presence.

Throughout our liturgical services we are committed to ways of praying and speaking about God, God’s creation, and our lives together that are inclusive of all genders, help us to dismantle white supremacy and systemic racism, and inspire ecological healing and renewal. The result is a compelling mix of both comfortably reliable and faithfully innovative forms of worship.

A number of opportunities are available to participate as liturgical ministers and in other forms of service that contribute to our shared life of prayer and worship. Most of these require some form of training, which is readily accomplished in one or two sessions with a member of the clergy:

• Musicians, cantors, and choir members are always welcome to lend their talents to our services of worship, which of course need to be made known well in advance of a service for which they would be offered.
• Lay Readers offer the lessons from Scripture and lead the Prayers of the People on Sunday morning and on Wednesday evenings.
• Acolytes assist the clergy in worship by lighting candles, leading processions, and assisting in setting the altar.
• Altar Guild members set the altar before worship, tidy the altar area after worship, and track liturgical supplies, linens, and vestments.
• Ushers and Greeters provide a hospitable face to both newcomers and longstanding members and help guide people to proper places during worship.
• Digital Vergers oversee the online connections for smooth live-streaming of worship (and other events) to Vimeo, YouTube, and Facebook, and also ensure a post-production quality of these streams for an inviting and compelling online experience of All Saints’ Parish.

Worship Contact: Fr. Jay Johnson – rector@allsaintssaugatuck.org – 616-294-7030 (mobile) – 269-857-5201 (parish office)