Loving God

Mark 12:30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

“Of all the commandments, which one is the most important?” Jesus’ answer is our call. How do we answer this call? How do we do this at St. John’s Episcopal?

We do this in worship – in prayers spoken and sung and in devotions shared and silent. We do this through bible study and other Christian formation groups – engaging and challenging minds and hearts at all life stages. We do this by linking our life’s milestones with others in God’s presence and the love of Christ – celebrating the sacraments in our journey of faith. We invite you to love God and journey with us.

WORSHIP

Worship is a vital part of our sacred journey of hope and transformation. We invite all to join us in worship and aim for it to be a genuinely welcoming and inclusive experience.

8:00 AM SUNDAY

Our early worship is a quiet and contemplative spoken service, without music. 

10:00 AM SUNDAY

Our later service offers music and nursery care and Christian education or formation for youth (nursery care begins at 9 am; youth classes at 10 am). Our 10:00 am worship follows the pattern of the Book of Common Prayer, Rite II, with elements drawn from Enriching Our Worship 1. Our youth formation Sunday schedule differs in summer; please see youth formation below for more information.

12:00 PM NOON WEDNESDAY

The Wednesday noon worship also offers the Holy Eucharist in a spoken service. Seating is arranged in the chancel for a more intimate setting.

Throughout the year, St. John’s offers additional opportunities to gather in prayer. Please click on “Announcements” or “Newsletter” in the menu at the bottom of this page to see if such an opportunity is coming up soon. If you have questions about schedule changes due to holy days, inclement weather, etc., please visit our home page, email us or call St. John’s Episcopal Church at 989-631-2260.

Episcopal Worship

The center of life in the Episcopal Church is the Eucharist, sometimes called Holy Communion, Lord’s Supper or the Mass. Our preaching seeks to communicate the “good news” of Jesus Christ as it is revealed in Scripture and continually discovered anew in the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and world. We draw from ancient traditions of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, and we also look to the creative possibilities of culture and technology in our world today.

We believe the Eucharist is the family meal for Christians and a foretaste of the heavenly banquet. All persons who have been baptized, and are therefore part of the extended family that is the Church, are welcome to receive the bread and wine and to be in communion with God and each other.

Devotional Resources

PREPARING FOR SUNDAY

Here’s a resource you can use to get ready for Sunday worship. Just click here and you’ll be able to see the scripture readings for three Sundays …last week, this week, and next week! Along with the actual passages of scripture, you’ll be provided with resources for study and prayer for each week. Whether you use this resource alone or with a small group (in person or online), your experience of Sunday worship will be deeper for your efforts!

FORWARD DAY BY DAY

Forward Day by Day is a booklet of daily inspirational meditations reflecting on a specific Bible passage, chosen from the daily lectionary readings as listed in the Revised Common Lectionary or the Daily Office from the Episcopal Church’s Book of Common Prayer.

The meditations are rich in substance and offer a wide range of witnesses and experiences. Each month’s meditation is written by a different author. More than a half-million readers worldwide use Forward Day by Day as a resource for daily prayer and Bible study.

St. John’s is happy to make this booklet available to its parishioners; simply pick one up in the narthex or ask at the church office.

OUR DAILY BREAD

This non-denominational, non-profit organization started with a radio program called Detroit Bible Class. Since then, their ministry has grown from a small group of dedicated radio listeners to millions of people around the world who use their Bible-based resources. Since it was first published in 1956, Our Daily Bread has become the resource for which this group of ministries is best known. The daily devotional thoughts published in Our Daily Bread help readers spend time each day in God’s Word. A ministry network of staff and volunteers in over 35 offices help distribute more than 60 million resources to 150 countries.

THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER

Since the 16th century, the Book of Common Prayer has been at the center of the life of Anglican and now Episcopal Christians. At St. John’s, we use the BCP at both of our Sunday services and at noon on Wednesdays. Along with resources for “common” prayer and worship when the congregation gathers, the BCP also offers us resources for private prayer and for small group prayer and worship. Click here to access and explore these resources or come by St. John’s and page through it as you join us for worship!