WORSHIP

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers… And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42,46-47)

This is the heart of worship at St. Lydia’s. We gather together so that we may devote ourselves to the Scriptures, the Prayers, and the Sacraments. Then, immediately after service, we devote ourselves to the Fellowship by sharing coffee and sometimes a meal together, growing in our love and union with each other in Christ. From there, we are sent out into the world to do the work God has given us to do as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord.

THE LITURGY

Our worship follows the pattern of how Christians worshiped for centuries. We call this “liturgy” which literally means “the work of the people.” Worship is supposed to be active, and so everybody participates in the liturgy through singing, prayers, listening to God’s Word, repentance, and receiving Communion.

Our liturgy is taken directly from the Book of Common Prayer 2019. Author and theologian J. I. Packer says this about the Biblical roots of ordering our worship according to the Book of Common Prayer:

“Think about the Book of Common Prayer as the Bible orchestrated for worship; when you take the Prayer Book apart, just about every phrase echoes something in Scripture.”

FAQ

  • We now meet at Evangeline Hall. The address is 328 Guilbeau Rd, Lafayette LA 70506. It’s right by Meche’s Donut King… which means, yes, we often have donuts!

  • Yes! We participate in the Sacrament of Holy Communion every Sunday, and the Table is open to any baptized Christian who comes in faith and repentance. That includes baptized children, at the discretion of the parents.

  • Children of all ages are absolutely welcome in our worship service. After all, “to such belongs the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:16). We believe they are formed by the liturgy as much as anyone else and that it’s important for them to interact with their elders in the church.

    We firmly believe that the noises of children are a sign of a thriving church! But we also know that can be a bit stressful for the parents. So we have “busy bags” available for parents to grab before the service.

    After the service, Fr. Adam invites the children to something he calls “Candy Catechism.” He teaches the children a question from our catechism and helps them memorize it, earning a piece of candy* each time!

    (*We strive to use candy that is free of food dyes and other problematic ingredients. We also have other prizes, such as stickers.)

  • Whatever you are comfortable in. You’ll see folks in button-up shirts and slacks, and you’ll see others in shorts and t-shirts.

  • In the Anglican tradition, clergy often wear something called “vestments.” There is much to say about the symbolism of the vestments, but you can think of it as a sort of uniform indicating that the clergy are the called officers of the Church and appointed to perform certain liturgical functions.

  • We sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs that span the entirety of Church history, including up to the present day. Our music often lines up with where we are in the Church’s liturgical year.

  • Yes, although we are not currently making them public. However, if you’d like to view a sample service, you can do so here, along with the accompanying bulletin found here.