This summer I plan to begin a research/writing project on the spiritual dimensions of generativity….generative persons are those who find meaning and joy in the thriving of others[…]
Browsing all articles in The Ministry of Altar Guild
It is a surprise to many people— to learn that the Episcopal Church is present in Europe. But more impressive than the size of our space is the range and diversity of the cultures that make up the congregations […]
Old and craggy, enormous, delicate or just ordinary, our hands are meant to be full with the gift of the love of God […]
have been in every Episcopal sacristy in the state…What’s most striking to me is the variety of spaces that are an integral part of that ministry […]
I come from a long line of pastors, mostly Presbyterian with an occasional Episcopalian to leaven the loaf. My maternal grandmother was given a recipe for communion bread […]
“For it is better to suffer for doing good if suffering should be God’s will than to suffer for doing evil.” Could suffering ever be God’s will? […]
In the Episcopal Church, aesthetics matter. The surroundings in which worship takes place have their own meaning. In fact, we believe God intends these elements as what I often call “a visible sermon” […]
As a “Free Range Priest,” offering supply coverage primarily for Sunday services only in parishes in two adjacent dioceses, I have a deep appreciation for the ministry of the altar guild in churches I visit […]
Having grown up in the Episcopal Church, I have a very early awareness of the significant role altar guilds have in the life of many congregations […]
It is very clear that the realities of the COVID pandemic have radically upset the regular patterns of life in the church as we have known them. While we are no way near the end of the pandemic, it is good to ponder what the Body of Christ might look like in the “new missional age” post pandemic […]
It has been such a pleasure to represent you and our legacy of the National Altar Guild Association these last three years […]
During the anxious moments that have made up the last few months, I have looked to my dogs for spiritual guidance. They are calm, centered, consistent, and joyful […]
A hush in every sacristy, just before we leave it to begin the service. The verger runs through how we will proceed, who will administer bread and where, who will administer wine. Then all stand at attention. It is time to begin […]
You don’t expect it to happen at “Gentle Yoga,” of all places. But the other day, as I was standing in line at the YMCA waiting for another class to end […]
I once overheard an altar guild training. The leader was reminding our new members that the same care must be taken with the linens used for the home communion taken to sick and shut-in members of the parish […]
Dolores Miller, March 19, 1932 – January 28, 2019
We pay tribute to a dedicated member of NAGA in an article by Peggy Curlin and Homily by The Rev. Philip G. Emanuel […]
It helps to know who you’re looking for, if you want to find them. I believe the same is true in our spiritual journeys as well. We need to know that we are seeking Jesus. Without that, we probably will not find Him […]
I remember being about nine or ten before I could go with my mother to help with her altar guild duties at Christ the King Episcopal Church in Orlando, FL. I had asked, or rather begged, so many times, always receiving the same answer: “When you are older” […]
The altar guild is a behind-the-scenes ministry, and that can make it an unappreciated ministry. My thanks to Jane Mercer who invited me to share excerpts from my book, Celebrating the Eucharist, to highlight the importance of every altar guild’s ministry […]
The National Association of Diocesan Altar Guilds had its beginnings over 50 years ago, when, at the 1919 Convention held in Detroit, the National Council of the Episcopal Church was formed […]
From The National Altar Guild of the Episcopal Church, U.S.A. Its First Seventy-Three Years 1927-2000 […]
My first awareness of the ministry of the altar guild comes from my childhood. I remember my mother regularly excusing herself from life at home to work with other altar guild members[…]
Recently I was asked “Do you still do needlepoint?” The next question was “Why?” This started me thinking — why, indeed, do I still do canvaswork when I now am a senior citizen with the usual arthritic aches and pains, especially in my hands […]
The first half of the liturgical year is a mad dash — and nobody knows this more than the altar guild. But once the summer schedule is done and you’ve put up the green frontal, you can pour yourself a glass of wine […]
The spirit in which your altar guild lives ripples out to affect the feel of the whole congregation […]
You are the preparers and keepers and transmitters of some of the coolest stuff we have in The Episcopal Church […]
My greatest joy serving in the office and role of bishop is to bring children deeper into our worship. What I find, more often than not, is they will teach me, long before I can teach them […]
It was a privilege, and a pleasure, to speak with members of the National Altar Guild during General Convention and to share a few things about my favorite, and possibly the most under-rated, character in the New Testament […]
“The beauty of holiness” is a familiar phrase to most Episcopalians. Keynote speaker, Sr. Suzanne Elizabeth from the Community of St. John Baptist explores the meaning of these words and how they shape our lives […]
As I have made my way around small sacristies over the past ten years, they have come to symbolize the importance of respecting one another and our differences by graciously making space for one another […]
When we offer ourselves to serve at the altar, we are offering ourselves to God as a living prayer. The sun is up by the time I begin the Great Thanksgiving, but my prayer does not end with the Amen; it continues with the awareness of God’s love and offering myself through the day […]
Years ago I was challenged by members of the congregation over an issue I call “Holy Waste.” As things like this often happen in congregations, it all started innocently enough […]
The ministry of the altar guild makes me think of beauty. Our ancient forbearers said that the purpose of life is to know “the good, the true and the beautiful.” Sometimes we are vaguely apologetic for the “trappings” of the church, yet beauty is indispensable […]
A school friend of mine once jokingly remarked that it was not until he was a teenager that he learned that all girls were not named either Mary Martha or Martha Mary! Both of these women have places in our liturgical calendar and are honored by the church […]
When we think about hospitality and welcome in churches, we most often think of greeters, ushers and newcomers committees. But the fact is that the first work of hospitality comes in the ministry of the altar guild — long before anyone walks into the church for the celebration of the liturgy […]
Often I hear the altar guild being compared to Mary and Martha but most of the women that I have met have a John the Baptist streak […]
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