Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
500 W. Stuart Street, Bartow, Florida 33830
At the intersection of West Stuart St and South Floral Ave in Bartow
All are welcome in The Episcopal Church!
Weekly Service Schedule
We offer worship every Sunday.
Sundays
8:00 am - Holy Eucharist Service is approximately 45 min
A Rite II Eucharistic service without music.
9:30 am - Holy Eucharist Service is approximately 1 hr 15 min
A Rite II Eucharistic service with hymns.
As you enter the sanctuary for worship, feel free to sit anywhere you like. You might notice that some of our church family are speaking with one another in the sanctuary prior to the start of the service. A few will be busily preparing for the service, our parents may be talking to their children, while others will be kneeling or sitting quietly preparing their hearts for worship. We encourage you to do that which seems to bring you closer to the presence of God during this time.
What is Eucharist?
Every Sunday morning service includes Holy Communion, also referred to as the Eucharist or Lord's Supper. We do believe in the real presence of Christ in the bread and wine, but we admit to you that our limited human capacities cannot explain the “how” of it. We Episcopalians are pretty comfortable with not having all the answers. We will not police your personal beliefs on this matter. Our priest, Rev. Becky, just asks that you come to the communion rail open and willing to receive the grace of God.
Any baptized Christian of any age may receive Holy Communion. To us, it does not matter what your past denominational, or non-denominational heritage may be. If you are not baptized, or for another reason you do not wish to receive communion, you are still invited to come to the Lord’s table to receive a prayer of blessing. Simply place your hands over your chest in an “X” pattern and this will signal the priest to pray for you. No one will question you in your decision.
Sunday Morning Worship
The worship style is traditional in the sense that we follow a rite of worship that dates back at least 1800 years. However, it is not traditional in the sense that it is overly formal or stuffy. Our parishioners are warm and friendly, and prefer a low-key experience.
The rule of thumb that Anglican/Episcopalians follow in worship is this: We stand to sing, we sit to listen, and we kneel to pray. However, you will immediately find exceptions to this rule of thumb. The key is to simply do what everyone else does. It has worked for all of us! The good news is that after two or three visits it all seems so natural that you will not even think about it again. For those who, for whatever reason are unable to kneel, sitting is perfectly acceptable.
