Grace Episcopal

Another Sunday, another new church. So far I've been to all the chapel services during the week. We have three, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and they are ecumenical with a strong Methodist flavor. They have all been amazing, and I'm sure I'll talk a lot more about them later. But it's been fun to explore a new faith tradition on Sunday morning. This week Claire (from North Carolina), Linzi (from California), Kristi (from Georgia), and Boram (from South Korea) joined me at Grace Episcopal. It is only a few steps away from my residence hall (Green Villa) so it was quite convenient.

Grace is a much more traditional service than Redeemer was last week, but I thought it was really beautiful. They had a great choir that sang this week's hymn, and the rector, Rev. Lauren Ackland, chanted/sang the communion liturgy. The service felt very blessed to me. Again, like last week, I found the tradition of the liturgy to be incredibly beautiful. We actually used the kneeling benches, which was new for me, and this time I did have wine at communion. I did take communion through intiction (dipping the wafer into the wine) instead of sipping from the cup, so it wasn't a totally foreign experience.

One of the things I loved about the service was the emphasis on silence. They observe silence in the sanctuary before service begins and take moments after the sermon and communion to allow for prayer. It sets a very peaceful, tranquil mood for the service. I've sometimes found it jarring to move from chatty hellos as everyone gathers into worshipping, and I thought having the silent atmosphere allowed an attitude of worship to develop more naturally. I do miss contemporary praise songs though, so I'm glad I get to sing them during weekly chapel.

I'm not sure where I'm heading next week. Perhaps the Catholic Church across the street, although I already don't like them for playing chimes four times an hour and playing hymns on the chimes every Sunday morning. My window is very close to the church, so I get a very loud concert. I'm also fairly sure I would not make a very good Catholic. So maybe I'll return to what I know and visit the nearby Methodist Church.

I have a job interview on Friday, so please keep my in prayer for that. I desperately need SOME way to support myself, so it would be great if this works out.

I plan to get pictures of my room/apartment/surrounding area tomorrow. We'll see. I should also do my homework at some point... but before that I have a game night to attend tonight. Snacks and board games, always a good time! And tomorrow night, FOOTBALL! GO BSU!! (No, I didn't realize I was a fan until someone was talking about how we were going to lose. Someone has to represent over here in Jersey.)