A Visit to Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill

I hadn't intended to go to Immanuel this morning, but I overslept, and it's the closest Episcopal church to the Seminary. Immanuel has a long-standing relationship with the Seminary that includes the Seminary Chapel, which burned over a year ago. You can read a brief stoyr about the fire here.

I arrived about 10 minutes before the 10:00 service started, and my first impression was that the congregation was considerably older than at St. Clement's. As the start of the service got closer, the average age dropped considerably. All told, there were 120 or so folks ranging in age from infant to nonagenarian and overwhelmingly white. A number of people wore name tags but not everyone, so a visitor didn't stick out like a sore thumb.

My second impression was that the church was older than it appeared from the street. Inside was a very traditional worship space, with the exception of the altar. The altar sits far enough forward so that people can surround it during communion. And it has no altar rail.

The bulletin carried a welcome, the order of worship for both services, the readings, and the usual collection of announcements and staff listings.It also included a brief reflection on the readings from Merriman's The Rite Light: Reflections on the Sunday Readings and Seasons of the Church Year. When the service started I encountered an interesting glitch. There weren't enough hymnals in the pews, and I shared mine with the gentleman next to me, who was also the only person of color I saw until communion. He also happened to be one of the lectors. Like St. Clement's, Immanuel has a deacon.

I really enjoyed the sermon, which was about transitions and moving forward. This was not surprising given a church in transition on the Interim Rector's second Sunday. Prayers of the People were Form 3. No one moved from their pews for the Peace. The Doxology was sung as the collection plates were brought to the altar. During the invitation to the table the priest announced that a gluten-free alternative was available, just ask her or the deacon when you came up. A crystal goblet served as the chalice (it looked like Waterford, but I couldn't be sure). As I noted above, everyone stood around the altar to receive, and everyone stayed in place until the last person had received before returning to their pews.

Announcements took place after the recessional but before the dismissal. Each person who got up to make an announcement introduced themselves before making their announcement. The deacon sent the congregation out, and it dispersed. There was no mention made of coffee hour, and there did not appear to be any major movement of people in one direction that would ordinarily indicate where to go. So I came home.

If I had to make a decision based on just these two parishes, I'd probably choose St. Clement's. Obviously, it's easier to recognize a newcomer in a smaller parish, but I felt almost lost. I realized that it probably takes more work to integrate yourself into a large parish, especially if you haven't come at the invitation of someone who's already a member. There is something to be said for smaller communities, and I wonder why we tend to look at larger churches as more successful. Bigger is not always better.

But I don't have to make a decision any time soon. There are plenty of churches to visit, and my list keeps growing as I talk to people here at the Seminary. Maybe next week I'll venture to one in the District. We'll see.

P.S. They didn't make a fuss about Mother's Day. I didn't forget. I sent a card, which hopefully arrived on time. Happy Mother's Day, Mom!