Grace Episcopal
Church

Mt. Meigs, Alabama

Worship at Grace Church follows the format prescribed by our Book of Common Prayer and is offered to the Glory of God. Understanding that not all people enjoy the same worship style, Grace offers several opportunities for worship and all parishioners and visitors are warmly invited to participate in each.

Holy Eucharist remains the centerpiece of our corporate worship and the Eucharist (Holy Communion) is the central act of this worship experience. For most of the year, the parish uses Rite II, but, on some occasions, Rite I is used. Every Sunday offers two services of Holy Eucharist. At eight o’clock, the service does not include hymns; at the ten thirty service, traditional hymns are incorporated from the 1982 Hymnal with occasional offertory music from the Alleluia hymnal or Taize music.

Morning Prayer is one of the Daily Offices (Noon Day, Evening, and Compline are the other daily offices) and may be used along with Holy Eucharist as the ante-communion or as a separate and distinct worship experience. The Daily Offices are adapted from the ancient monastic tradition still used in religious communities throughout the Anglican Communion.

Centering Prayer Group meets on Tuesday mornings at 11:00am in the church. Centering Prayer is a method of prayer, which prepares us to receive the gift of God's presence, traditionally called contemplative prayer. It consists of responding to the Spirit of Christ by consenting to God’s presence and action within. It furthers the development of contemplative prayer by quieting our faculties to cooperate with the gift of God’s presence. Centering Prayer facilitates the movement from more active modes of prayer — verbal, mental or affective prayer — into a receptive prayer of resting in God. It emphasizes prayer as a personal relationship with God. At the same time, it is a discipline to foster and serve this relationship by a regular, daily practice of prayer. It is Trinitarian in its source, Christ-centered in its focus, and ecclesial in its effects; that is, it builds communities of faith.

Taize is an ecumenical service of music and prayer modeled after the corporate worship of the ecumenical monastic community in Taize, France, which was established in the aftermath of World War II for the intentional purpose of prayers for healing and reconciliation worldwide. The community draws tens of thousands of visitors annually, particularly young people, to spend time together praying for peace and in small groups discussing the Scriptures. The Taize music-based service is designed for contemplation and prayer through the visual enhancement of religious iconography and simple but beautifully melodious music in a setting of candlelight. This prayer and music opportunity is available in the nave and, when weather permits, in the Gardens on the second Sunday of each month at six o’clock in the evening, followed by a light supper and discussion in the parish hall. For additional information about Taize, call the Church Office.