What to Expect

Think of this page as your “First-Time Guide to Visiting St. John’s.”

Coming into the bright red front doors of the church, your eye travels forward to a stained glass window casting a glow over the altar where our priest leads our prayers of thanksgiving for Christ’s love for us.  To the right, you see the pipes of the 21 rank Möller organ.  On either side of the seating area,  sunlight filters through stained glass windows that were created at several different point in the church’s 250-year history.

As you enter the church to attend a worship service, you will be greeted by an usher who will give you a leaflet we often referred to as the “bulletin” or “order of service.”  It enables you to participate in the service, and it is drawn from many different resources provided by The Episcopal Church, including the Book of Common Prayer.

Every Sunday morning, we offer worship by celebrating Holy Communion, sometimes called the Lord’s Supper, the Holy Eucharist, or the Mass.  It includes readings from the Bible, prayers for our neighbors and the world, a sermon, and the ritual of receiving bread and wine, the sacramental body and blood of Christ. All baptized Christians are welcome to receive communion, no questions asked. For many generations, Episcopalians have cherished an old prayer for the wellbeing of people of “all sorts and conditions.”  At St. John’s, we continue not only to pray for all, but to welcome all, regardless of sort or condition!

The atmosphere at St. John’s is usually a blend of personal warmth and ceremonial beauty. The service at 9 AM on Sunday includes lots of music and many like to sing.  Children are always warmly welcome at all services! Younger children may prefer to join our Director of Youth Ministries during the lessons and sermon time for an age-appropriate lesson about the readings of the day before returning to join their parents for Holy Communion.

Following the 9 AM service, we continue with a time for socializing and fellowship in the Great Hall, where volunteers serve various goodies, including what we jokingly refer to as the eighth sacrament: coffee!

By the way, parking at St. John’s is mostly on the street, either on Trumbull Place in front of the church, or on St. John’s Street along the side of the church. There is a small parking lot behind the church off of St. John’s Street. Coming from either direction, the church buildings are handicapped accessible.

How to Join

If you want to join St. John’s you can!  Formal membership in an Episcopal Church is established by baptism.

If you have been baptized, all you need to do is inform the parish office of the date and place of your baptism.  If you have not been baptized, we are glad to arrange for your baptism.  By baptizing you or recording the information about your baptism, we will enroll you as a member.  If you are already a member of another Episcopal Church, we will arrange for a letter of transfer to move your membership here.  If you are coming to the Episcopal Church from another tradition, whatever record you have of your baptism will suffice.  Active adult members are normally expected to 1) worship regularly, 2) support their parish’s ministries with their time, talent and treasure, 3) deepen their faith through study.  This deeper, mature level of commitment to the church is celebrated sacramentally through Confirmation.

To learn more or to join St. John’s, please contact Martha Blume, Church Administrator at 203-239-0156 or email her at office@stjohns-northhaven.org