ITEMS OF INTEREST

I Wonder

This is an occasional column that answers interesting questions.

I wonder why Episcopalians read their prayers?

"When the disciples came to Jesus and asked him how they should pray, He didn't suggest that they make it up as they go along. He offered them a well thought out form of prayer that we call the 'Our Father'.

Episcopalians, like many Christian, believe that when we write our prayers down we carry forward an ancient tradition of order and structure suggested in Jesus' instructions to the disciples. After all, worship in Jesus' day was a highly structured affair, with written prayers for just about every occasion. One of the biggest collections still in use is the book of Psalms.

Episcopalians find that written prayers allow for common prayer. Our prayers allow us to partake more deeply in a shared experience of offering up something we agree on. Most of our prayers are pretty old and have stood the test of time regarding the beliefs they express and the clarity with which they state them. When we pray them we are uniting with generations of believers who have prayed the same prayers. Just think of the billions of people who have prayed the popular written prayers like the Our Father, The Agnus Dei ('Lamb of God...') or the Sanctus (Holy, holy, holy...')."

Source: The Episcopal Handbook (New York, NY: Church Publishing 2008) p. 40.

Clergy

The Rev. Charles Davidson

Vestry Members

Carol Anderson, Cyrus Aimey (Junior Warden), Veronica Airey-Wilson, Joyce Asiedu, Walter Benjamin (Senior Warden, Nora Brown, Terry Brown (Treasurer), Marie Brown-Harvey (Secretary),Evelyn Green, Shannon Holder, Bates Lyons, Joe Noel, Peter Marsele Terrie Thomas, Herbert Bowen (Hon)

Music

Rochelle Holder - Youth Choir

Nathaniel Baker - Music Director/Organist

Rector Emeritus

Canon Cyril Burke

Email

monicahartford@gmail.com