Plan Your Visit

The hardest part of visiting a church is the not knowing. Where do I park? What do I wear? When does everyone stand up, and why? This page takes the guesswork out of a Sunday at St. Andrew’s, so you can spend your morning worshiping instead of wondering. And if you read none of it and simply walk in at 11:30 on a Sunday, that works too. The door is the only requirement.

The basics

The Holy Eucharist is celebrated every Sunday at 11:30 a.m. at 925 Plowman Street, at the corner of Oak and Plowman in downtown Montevallo, across from Montevallo High School and one block from the University of Montevallo. There is on-street parking, the doors open well before the hour, and there is no dress code: Sunday best and blue jeans sit in the same pew here. Full service times are here, and directions are here.

When you walk in

Someone will hand you a smile, and the rest is at your own pace. Two things worth noticing on your way to a seat:

• The prayer list at the front door. If you or someone you love needs prayer, write the name down as you come in. Those names are prayed for in the service that very morning, during the Prayers of the People. You can also ask our prayer group to keep praying long after Sunday.
• The books in the pew. Three of them, and together they hold the whole morning. The Book of Common Prayer contains the words of the service, prayed by Episcopalians around the world. The Hymnal 1982 holds most of the music. And the yellow songbook, Alleluia II, supplies the lively song we sing as the Gospel is read in the midst of the people. Page numbers get announced, neighbors love to help, and nobody is grading you.

The shape of the service

The service is the Holy Eucharist, Rite Two, and it has carried Christians through Sunday mornings in this form for a very long time. Here is the path it walks, so nothing takes you by surprise. Stand to sing, sit to listen, kneel or stand to pray, and when in doubt, do what the people around you do. (When in deeper doubt, just sit. God is not offended.)

1. An opening hymn. We stand and sing as the ministers come in, and the service opens with prayer.
2. The readings. Scripture, and plenty of it: a reading from the Old Testament, a psalm read responsively (the congregation answers verse by verse), and a New Testament reading, most often from Paul’s letters.
3. The Gospel. We stand and sing from the yellow Alleluia II songbook as the Gospel book is carried into the middle of the congregation and read there, the Word in the midst of the people.
4. The sermon. The Rev. Quincy Hall preaches good news for a wounded world. (You can hear past sermons here.)
5. The Nicene Creed. We stand and say what Christians have believed for seventeen centuries. If you cannot say all of it yet honestly, you are in good company; the church believes it with you and for you while you work it out.
6. The Prayers of the People. We pray for the church, the world, the sick, the dead, and the names on the prayer list from the front door. There is a moment for you to add your own, aloud or in silence.
7. The Confession. We kneel, tell God the truth about ourselves, and hear forgiveness declared. It is the least glamorous and most freeing minute of the week.
8. The Peace. Everyone greets everyone: handshakes, hugs for the huggers, and the words “Peace be with you.” This is the friendliest sixty seconds in Montevallo.
9. Announcements. The week ahead, told briefly. (You can always check the calendar too.)
10. The offering. A plate is passed and our gifts are brought to the altar with the bread and wine. Giving is part of our worship, but hear this plainly: you are our guest, and nothing is expected of you. Let the plate pass with a clear conscience. (If you ever do want to give, here is how.)
11. The Holy Eucharist. The table is set, the great prayer of thanksgiving is prayed, and we come forward to the altar rail. If you are baptized, in any Christian tradition, you are welcome to receive the bread and wine. If you are not, come anyway with your arms crossed over your chest and receive a blessing. (Curious why baptism is the door? Start here.)
12. A closing hymn and the dismissal. We are sent out “to love and serve the Lord,” which is the whole point of having come.

If you want the deeper story behind all of this, our plain-language guide to what an Episcopal church is is a good next read.

Bringing children?

Bring them squirmy, curious, and loud. Children worship with their families at St. Andrew’s, the sanctuary includes a play space for little ones, a sensory room is always available, and on some Sundays a separate Children’s Chapel offers songs, crafts, prayer, and a child-sized liturgy. The playground out back does a brisk business after church. Everything for families is here.

After: coffee hour

Around 12:30 p.m. the service ends and coffee hour begins: snacks, coffee, and unhurried conversation. If you only have courage for one new thing this Sunday, spend it here. Nobody will pounce on you, but somebody will learn your name, and this is where visitors quietly turn into regulars. Singers may want to come back at 10:30 a.m. on a first or third Sunday and try the choir.

Questions before you come?

Send us a note or call, and we will be glad to help. Or skip straight to the part where you read our story, meet the people who serve here, or just come Sunday. There is a chair with your name on it, even though we do not know your name yet. Come and see.