We're glad you're here.

Visiting on Sunday

Service Time: Sunday’s at 5pm.

Location: 401 Main st. Mount Vernon, IL 62864 (Epworth UMC)

Parking: We have two parking lots. One is on the west side of the Church (on Main St.) next to the Family Life Center. The other is on the east side of the church at the corner of 4th st and Main. Street parking also available.

Kids: Kids are the life and future of the church. We offer a children’s lesson during the sermon for ages 7 and under. Kid’s will leave the service during that time and learn from one of our MinistrySafe certified educators. We welcome kids in the service and worship as families. But we also know that a grumpy or giddy child can be a distraction for you and those around you.

We offer a nursey or cry room for those children who need a break from the service.

Our Worship Service

Below is some info about worshipping at St. Patrick's. As Anglicans, our worship is vibrantly liturgical, meaning we participate together through a worship journey in 5 movements: Entering God's Presence, Hearing God's Word, Responding to God's Word, Celebrating the Lord's Supper, and Going Out into the World. This is a pattern drawn from the earliest centuries of Christian worship. Our music is blended, from ancient hymns to theologically-rich, modern songs. Our service lasts about an hour and 20 minutes.

Entering God's Presence

We acclaim the Lord together with an opening hymn, procession of the cross, and blessing - reminding us that Jesus is right here with us as he promised.
We are reminded of Jesus' weighty summary of the Law (Matthew 22:37-40), commands to love the Lord and our neighbor. We ask for God’s loving mercy, then glorify him with an ancient song, the Gloria.
With the Church around the world, we pray an appointed daily prayer called the Collect.

Hearing God's Word

We read from the Old Testament, a Psalm, a NT Epistle and the Gospel every Sunday, all of which come from a 3-year cycle of readings called a lectionary.
A sermon is preached on one or more of the readings, usually about 25 minutes.

Responding to God's Word

After the sermon, we proclaim our common faith with the words of the Nicene Creed (325 AD).
We pray responsively together, called the Prayers of the People.
We confess our sins and hear God's forgiveness proclaimed over us, along with 4 short verses of Scripture called "the Comfortable Words."
We "Pass the Peace." This is a time of greeting, but also an opportunity to be reconciled if there are conflicts, which is necessary for coming to Communion.
Children come in from their classes during this time and return for Communion.

Celebrating the Lord's Supper

We present the Bread & Wine, along with our monetary gifts, as the fruit of our labor - and we sing the Doxology in praise.
Holy Eucharist - We retell the Gospel story through the blessing of the Bread & Wine, which is all about thanksgiving for our salvation. The Greek for thanksgiving is eucharisteo. This includes two or three liturgical songs and lots of encouraging responses.
As Jesus instructed, we bless, break, take, eat and drink, knowing that Jesus himself gave us this sacrament, a holy act as a physical sign of a spiritual reality, by which we tangibly receive of him personally and remember our union with him as members of his Body, the Church.

Going Out In Peace

We thank the Lord for feeding us with spiritual food, nourishing us with both Word and Sacrament.
We receive a blessing and are then commissioned yet again to “go in peace to love and serve” in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Receiving Communion

Everyone is welcome to come forward. Baptized Christians are invited to receive. Others may simply cross their arms over their chest and the priest will bless you.

To receive the bread, place one hand on top of the other and hold them out. (In communion, we receive a gracious gift. We don't take it. This gesture symbolizes that reality.) You can eat the bread immediately or wait and have it dipped in the chalice by the chalice bearer. If you receive the chalice separately, please help the chalice-bearer guide the chalice to your lips. Children are welcome to receive, but they should also be baptized. We trust the faith and conscience of parents when deciding whether their children should receive.