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HOW WE WORSHIP

About

Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers? We will, with God's help. Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord? We will, with God's help.

 

St. Matthew’s worship is liturgical and musically rich, typically experienced as The Holy Eucharist, Rite II on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer with choir and organ. We also use Enriching Our Worship and have used trial rites for the Season of Creation. Traditional in format and tone, parishioners describe worship as holy, thoughtful, comforting, sometimes solemn—and experienced as a time to relax, recharge, and feel peaceful in God’s presence. 

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Our Liturgy

​In addition to our music, a high value is placed on preaching that connects Holy Scripture and the Gospel to daily life and today’s world through thoughtful, insightful sermons. As a congregation, we desire to be challenged. From time to time, lay parishioners are also invited to preach. 

 

In the past a silent Rite II Holy Eucharist was offered at 8:00 a.m. on Sundays, which we hope to resume soon. We worship together during Lent and Holy Week; Taizé services are held quarterly on Friday evenings. New for us during Lent in 2026 has been a mid-week evening gathering that starts with a light meal followed by a brief service of reflections given by parishioners as part of a healing liturgy with the laying-on-of-hands. This came about in response to requests from parishioners. Our services are live streamed on Facebook and YouTube. 

 

Children are welcome in worship. Cloth bags with books and resources are available for them to take into the pew. There is also a soft space in the back of the sanctuary, allowing toddlers to play as their parent(s) or caretaker(s) worship. Nursery Care is provided by two paid caregivers during Sunday worship for those who desire it.

 

Understood broadly, worship also happens in coffee hour, small groups, Bible study, mission and outreach, and in the many ways we pray and discern together. We have a wide pattern of prayer, learning, service, and community life in many of our ministries.​​

Our Music & Choir

Our liturgy is strongly shaped by music. We have an excellent choir with four paid section leaders and an experienced musical director and organist. (Our organ was built in 2009 by the Reuter Organ Company of Lawrence, Kansas.) Our hymns are old and new, spirituals, anthems, and other sung elements that many experience as inspiring and essential. Worshipers are offered a service bulletin that contains all that is needed to participate in worship: readings, prayers, and some music. The Hymnal 1982 can be found in our pews, along with copies of the Book of Common Prayer. Hymns are also included in the bulletin when we sing from Lift Every Voice and Sing or Wonder, Love, and Praise. 

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Hopes for the Future

We seek to keep the richness of Episcopal liturgy and tradition but remain open about ways we can make our services more accessible and engaging for newcomers and younger generations. We desire to maintain reverence while experimenting with format, length, posture, language, and style so worship feels shorter or less old-fashioned, and more inviting, participatory, and flexible.

 

We hope to continue, even deepen, the focus on sermons to be explicitly relevant to contemporary life and challenges, helping us become fuller Christians, not just recalling the norms of 2,000 years ago. We hope to continue and expand strong, varied music that lifts hearts and voices, supports congregational participation, and helps express what words alone cannot.

 

We are open to new forms and styles of worship. Opportunities for Morning Prayer, Compline, and contemporary services would be welcome at other times of the week or as a second Sunday service. We desire to live into the sense that worship is the whole life of the community—praying, singing, serving, learning, and fellowshipping together—and that it extends beyond Sunday mornings into everyday discipleship. 

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