Frequently Asked Questions

Do you use real wine at communion? Do we all have to drink it out of the same cup?

Yup, we use real wine. You can choose to sip it out of the communion chalice or dip (intinct) the host wafer in the wine. Notably, The Center for Disease Control and the Journal of Infectious Diseases state that the risk of contracting an illness from the Communion Chalice is so small as to be undetectable. 

Who can be ordained as a priest or deacon in the Episcopal Church?

Both men and women, including those who are married and/or identify as LBTGQ, are eligible for ordination as deacons, priests and bishops. 

What is the The Book of Common Prayer?

This is the red book we use for our worship service. Episcopalians will sometimes (particularly in church bulletins) just refer to it as “The BCP.” If you ever wondered what an Episcopalian believes, then the best place to look is in this book. The BCP contains all the words for our services; the page numbers are also listed in your bulletin so that you may follow along. FIND THE BCP HERE

What are all these books in the pews?

The two main books you’ll find in every pew are the red Book of Common Prayer (see above) and our blue Hymnal. You generally won’t find a Bible in your seat, but you will definitely hear Scripture being read and find the week’s Scriptural readings printed in your bulletin. We follow the Revised Common Lectionary, which is in use in other denominations, too (Lutheran, Methodist, etc.).

Why do ya’ll stand up and sit down so much?

Worship at St. James’ is participatory, so we invite you to join in as much as your comfort level allows. The general rule of thumb is that we stand to sing, sit to listen, and kneel to pray. We have found that liturgical worship is a very rich form of worship, and one that the Church has used from the time of the Apostles until now. It requires some getting used-to, but like all things that are truly important in our lives, it’s worth the time and effort.

Ya’ll seem like a small denomination. Is anyone I know Episcopalian?

George Washington was an Episcopalian. In fact, 11 U.S. Presidents were Episcopalian, and the National Cathedral in Washington, DC is an Episcopal Church. Famous Episcopalians include John Steinbeck, Robin Williams, Judy Garland, Sam Waterston, Isaac Newton & Charles Darwin (actually, those two were Anglicans, but close enough!).