Liturgical Ministries

In all things may God be glorified! 

The Book of Common Prayer states, “At all celebrations of the Liturgy, it is fitting that the principle celebrant, whether bishop or priest, be assisted by other priests, and by deacons and lay persons.”  (BCP 322 & 354)

The sacrificial ministry of the Altar, and the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, is the primary service of the Church to Almighty God.  Those that celebrate and assist must approach their ministry with dignity, humility, and care.

Areas within the Liturgy that involve lay participation are:

  • Acolyte. An acolyte can be either youth or adults. Among the duties of acolytes are lighting and extinguishing the candles, serving as torch bearers, and serving as the crucifer. They are involved in the Procession into the sanctuary at the beginning of the service. They are involved in processing the Gospel out into the middle of the assembly so it may be proclaimed by a priest or deacon. They help to take up the alms. They serve the priest in preparing the Altar for Holy Communion and in doing the ablutions after everyone has received the blessed sacrament. Another common term today is ‘server’ or ‘altar server.’ There is training involved.
  • Altar Guild. The Altar Guild at St. John’s was established by Fr. Ira Day, the first rector in 1925. It has been known as the “Guild of St Mary’s” since that time. The Altar Guild takes care of all the sacred vessels and linens and vestments. They prepare the Altar for the services and clean up afterwards.
  • Chalice-bearer. Sometimes referred to as ‘lay eucharistic ministers’, chalice-bearers assist the priest in serving Holy Communion to the faithful by serving the chalice with the Precious Blood. There is training involved.
  • Choir. At St John’s we have a children’s choir, bell choir, and two sanctuary choirs, one serving at the 9:00 am and the other serves at 11:15 am. Our choirs are established through-out Fort Worth. They play a key role in assisting in our worship.
  • The Prayers of the People. A key component to our worship is the prayers of the faithful. A lay person leads the congregation in bringing before God in prayer the needs of the world, our country, local community, and individual needs.
  • Ushers. The ushers function as greeters, assist people in receiving a Sunday Bulletin, help folks find a seat if needed, and they help people come forward for Holy Communion.

All of these areas require training and a sense of calling.

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2 weeks ago

St. John's Church, Fort Worth
This recurring event is for our weekly live streamed Sunday morning Mass, as well as occasional Masses and other services on different days and times, from Saint John's Church in Fort Worth, TX. The Sunday live streamed Mass begins at 11:15 AM CDT, and our live stream will typically begin a few minutes earlier, but sometimes we experience delays.We stream primarily to Vimeo, using this exact address: vimeo.com/event/426877Live streams also go to our public Facebook page, at St. John's Church, Fort WorthYou can find archived videos of previous live streams on our Vimeo channel: vimeo.com/stjohnsfw ... See MoreSee Less

3 weeks ago

St. John's Church, Fort Worth
This recurring event is for our weekly live streamed Sunday morning Mass, as well as occasional Masses and other services on different days and times, from Saint John's Church in Fort Worth, TX. The Sunday live streamed Mass begins at 11:15 AM CDT, and our live stream will typically begin a few minutes earlier, but sometimes we experience delays.We stream primarily to Vimeo, using this exact address: vimeo.com/event/426877Live streams also go to our public Facebook page, at St. John's Church, Fort WorthYou can find archived videos of previous live streams on our Vimeo channel: vimeo.com/stjohnsfw ... See MoreSee Less
Fr. Bob has COVID-19 and will be postponing his Marriage Class, scheduled for tomorrow. We will notify the parish when he is better and can reschedule. Please pray for Fr. Bob (and Bettie). ... See MoreSee Less

Worship Schedule

Sunday Morning
8:00 am  Holy Eucharist, 1928 BCP
9:00 am  Holy Eucharist, 2019 BCP
11:15 am  Holy Eucharist, 2019 & 1928 BCP
This service is live-streamed every Sunday.

Saturday Afternoon Vigil Mass
6:00 pm  Holy Eucharist, 1928 BCP

Wednesday Morning Mass
7:30 am  Holy Eucharist, 1928 BCP

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