About St. John the Evangelist Church
We are people who believe that nothing “in all creation… can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8). We also believe that we need one another in our journey to know God and to be the people God calls us to be.
Some of us are life-long Episcopalians; most of us grew up in other faith traditions or without any formal religious affiliation. Many of us live in Flossmoor or Homewood, but 36 zip codes are represented in our membership directory.
As Episcopalians, we look to three sources to inform our faith: The Bible, the historical traditions and teachings of the church, and our own human experiences and reason. We seek to hold these three sources in balance and in conversation with one another.
If you have experience in the Roman Catholic Church, you will find the experience of worship in the Episcopal Church very familiar. There are other significant differences, of course. Our theology is rooted in the Protestant Reformation and our governance is generally democratic.
If you come from a more evangelical tradition, the worship experience may appear very formal at first. When the service begins you will notice people in robes, including children carrying a cross and candles. As a liturgical church ritual is an important part of the service, but we really are not formal! Children are welcome, dress can be casual and you don’t need to do everything right. It takes time to learn the order of service, and there are many in the congregation who remember feeling lost the first few times they visited.
Being a liturgical church means that the Episcopal Church uses a set liturgy in worship – the order and form for the service are taken from the Book of Common Prayer (BCP). The order of service (with corresponding page numbers from the BCP) is listed in the bulletin each week, and keeping that bulletin close at hand will help you follow what’s happening. But if you would rather just listen and not worry about page numbers or kneeling, that’s okay too. No matter what, we will be delighted to have you with us.
The Episcopal Church is also a sacramental church, which means we believe that we receive God’s transforming grace in our lives when we participate in the sacraments. We celebrate the sacrament of Holy Eucharist (Holy Communion) every Sunday. In the Episcopal Church all baptized Christians are invited to receive Communion at the Lord’s Table. The ushers will guide you down the center aisle to the communion rail where you may kneel or stand.
We invite you to join us some Sunday soon! We are a diverse community of Christians committed to following Christ. We value many voices as we thoughtfully explore what it means to live out the Christian faith and show the light of Christ through our words and actions in our community.
The Episcopal church
St. John the Evangelist is a part of The Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, a vital community of 40,000 people in 124 congregations across northern Illinois. Through the work of parishes and missions, social outreach agencies and campus ministries the diocese focuses on three simple goals: Grow the Church. Form the Faithful. Change the World. Learn more about the Diocese of Chicago HERE.
You can learn more about the history, beliefs, and mission of Episcopal Church in the United States HERE.
You can learn more about the history, beliefs, and mission of Episcopal Church in the United States HERE.