What to Expect When Visiting St. Martin’s

We welcome all people from all walks of life!

Please read our Statement of Commitment and Action to learn more.

What to expect when I attend a service at St. Martin’s?

Navigating the Service

Our Sunday gatherings, called a mass, are held at 8am and 10am. Our 10am service is offered online and in person. For information on how to join our online services, click here. Note that COVID protocols may change with little advance notice.

Our 8am service is a traditional spoken service, which means it uses traditional prayers that include language such as thy and thine. The 10am service is contemporary, with more modern language, and has music sung by our choir, although for some this will still feel like formal, highly structured worship.

The text of the service usually comes from the Book of Common Prayer, which can be found in the pews during the service. However, the readings, some of the text, and the music vary so we put that day’s service into a service bulletin (or paper booklet), which are passed out by an usher as you come in.

The music can either be found in the bulletin or in the Hymnal found in the pew in front of you. The Hymnal might be blue or red. The number of the hymn will be indicated on the service bulletin. Some hymns start with an S (ie. hymn S103). These can be found at the beginning of the hymnal.

If you have trouble finding a seat or need help with anything, including assistive listening devices, please let an usher know. Ushers are often at the back of the church and will be the ones passing out the bulletins at the beginning of the service.

Children are welcome!

If you have children, we have a large child-friendly area in the front left of the church. You may choose to sit there or in any place you like—wherever you and your children or grandchildren will be most comfortable. During the service we also have Montessori-inspired Godly Play for children in grades TK-6 every 2nd and 4th Sundays, which is held in rooms 3 and/or 4. We have childcare at our nursery every Sunday from 9:30am to 11:30am. A map of our grounds can be found here.

A word of encouragement

If you are not used to our liturgy (i.e., the form our worship takes), it might seem confusing at first. Give it time! Many of us came to the Episcopal Church from other traditions and learned this just like you are. We’re here to help; clergy and more experienced lay leaders. All are welcome at God’s table, children included.