​
​
Everyone is welcome at St. George’s Anglican Church, Lowville, regardless of their social status, race, sexual orientation, or other apparent differences. We write those words every week in our service bulletin, because that’s what we mean when we say that St. George’s has a progressive theology. From the worship perspective, we welcome everyone at the Lord’s Table. We encourage you to partake in the sacrament of Holy Communion, whether or not your background is Anglican.
​
As part of that commitment, we have made sure that our building is fully accessible, including an elevator from our foyer to both the worship space and the parish hall. Our washrooms include a separate handicap facility.
​
We’re not after your money; we want to spread the ‘good news’ of Jesus Christ. The news is indeed good, because the Gospels reveal that Jesus was inclusive, teaching us to love one another. That kind of love is not squishy or romantic. It means that we are to respect other people, whether we are similar or different; whether or not we agree with everything they believe. We will not try to brainwash you with doctrines that you must believe.
Worship Features at St. George's
Joyful Worship
Coming to church at St George’s is a joy, not a duty. Our Sunday worship is joyful, not gloomy, respectful but fun, affirming our belief that God deserves our thanks and praise. The service has a 45 min 'liturgy' (structured worship) that includes songs, a prayer circle, Scripture readings, and 'Eucharist' (Communion). The children are then dismissed for their 'special activity' of the day while the adults remain in the worship space to hear the week's homily and sing a closing hymn.
​
The music is led by piano, guitar, and vocals. It includes contemporary music (hymns and choruses), Sunday-school style songs (often with actions), as well as some traditional hymns. Oh, and our priest loves to include jokes in his sermons, we love the sound of laughter in our church!
Preaching
Children's Program
Children are important to us at St. George’s Church Lowville. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me. Do not stop them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Therefore we welcome children as full members of St. George’s Lowville. We encourage them to take Holy Communion at St. George’s from whatever age their parents think it appropriate. .
We also encourage young members of the congregation to participate fully in the service, should they wish to, in various roles, such as reading Scripture, praying, and leading the action parts of songs. Following the liturgy, the children head off to the Fireside room where they have a 15-minute activity based on the day's gospel reading. This could be a craft, game, or something entirely unique!
Sacramental
At St. George’s Church Lowville, we base our sermons on the day’s Scripture readings, most often from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We do our best to interpret Scripture faithfully, considering context, literary form, and reason when approaching the text.
We sincerely respect our Scriptures; that is why we believe that it’s important to explore their relevance in our lives today. You can check out some of our sermons on our blog to get a taste of the messages we teach.​
We Anglicans consider ourselves 'sacramental.' This can mean a few things. Firstly, we affirm two practices as sacraments: Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. In baptism we recognize our identities as God's children and commit to following the ways of Christ. In Communion, we celebrate Jesus' life, death, and resurrection in the ritual he gave to us at his Last Supper. Ours is an 'Open Table' meaning all those who wish to seek Jesus in the Bread and Wine are welcome to do so.
​
Secondly, we believe that God inhabits all of creation and can thus be perceived, in a mysterious way, through the senses. This notion is based on the theological idea of the 'Incarnation' where Jesus is said to have embodied God fully in human form. The divine and the human are thus joined together. This is reflected in our worship that involves all of our senses: sight (beautiful stained glass); sound (readings & songs); touch (taking the bread); taste (the wine); and even smell (the candles).
Fellowship
It would not be an understatement to say that what keeps people coming back to our small church is the quality of the community we enjoy. It's all about the people! We enjoy refreshments (coffee, tea, juice, baked goodies) both before and after our worship service. Our modern and spacious foyer outside the worship space facilitates this lovely time of sharing and laughter.
​
We also periodically have brunch after worship and there are a few special meals held during the year (Pancake Tuesday, Fall Market).