Welcome to St. Matthew's
No matter where you are in your life of faith and no matter your church or non-church background, we welcome you to this community of faith. At St. Matthew's we seek to be a place for people to connect, learn, grow, and serve God by living out their faith in practical and transformative ways.
As a part of the Episcopal Church, St. Matthew's draws on a rich tradition of liturgy, sacrament, and theology, while continuing to be open to where the Holy Spirit is leading the church.
What To Expect
What is Worship like?
Sunday worship is where we gather each week to read the Bible, sing, hear a sermon, pray and share in Holy Communion.
As an Episcopal Church, our worship style is liturgical, which means the service is participatory. There are some prayers said by the priest, some by the congregation, and some altogether. The flow of the service follows the Book of Common Prayer, which contains prayers written throughout the centuries. We blend these written prayers with our own prayers, drawing on the wisdom of the past and the continual inspiration of the Holy Spirit today.
There are places where we bow to show reverence for Christ, and places where we kneel to humble ourselves before God. There are times we cross ourselves as a way of using our entire bodies to worship and remember Christ’s sacrifice. We read ancient creeds and prayers together aloud to affirm our faith.
There is no "wrong way" to worship. Many people find this a bit intimidating at first, but later fall in love with the reverence of this type of worship.
As an Episcopal Church, our worship style is liturgical, which means the service is participatory. There are some prayers said by the priest, some by the congregation, and some altogether. The flow of the service follows the Book of Common Prayer, which contains prayers written throughout the centuries. We blend these written prayers with our own prayers, drawing on the wisdom of the past and the continual inspiration of the Holy Spirit today.
There are places where we bow to show reverence for Christ, and places where we kneel to humble ourselves before God. There are times we cross ourselves as a way of using our entire bodies to worship and remember Christ’s sacrifice. We read ancient creeds and prayers together aloud to affirm our faith.
There is no "wrong way" to worship. Many people find this a bit intimidating at first, but later fall in love with the reverence of this type of worship.
Communion
In Episcopal worship, we nurture our faith by celebrating Holy Communion most Sundays.
Any baptized person can come to the rail and receive communion. The appropriate age of a child taking communion is left up to the parents’ discretion (If you haven’t yet been baptized, you can come to the rail and kneel, cross your arms over your chest, and receive a prayer of blessing.) Talk with us about scheduling Baptism for you or your child.
Communion holds a deep and varied meaning for us in the Episcopal Church. It contains the mystery of what Christ did when he died on the cross for the sins of the world.
"The Body of Christ, the bread of heaven"
Hold out your hands cupped together like a bowl. A clergy person will come by first and give you bread that is the body of Christ. You can eat it right away or you can wait to dip it in the wine and then take it.
"The Blood of Christ, the cup of salvation"
Then a person will come by with the Chalice. This is a little intimidating if you aren’t used to it, but very beautiful. You can gently hold the cup, and with the server, guide it up to your lips and take a small sip of the wine. Or if you held onto the bread, you may dip it into the wine and then eat it. A person will take the wafer and he or she will dip it in the wine and gently place it on your tongue.
Any baptized person can come to the rail and receive communion. The appropriate age of a child taking communion is left up to the parents’ discretion (If you haven’t yet been baptized, you can come to the rail and kneel, cross your arms over your chest, and receive a prayer of blessing.) Talk with us about scheduling Baptism for you or your child.
Communion holds a deep and varied meaning for us in the Episcopal Church. It contains the mystery of what Christ did when he died on the cross for the sins of the world.
"The Body of Christ, the bread of heaven"
Hold out your hands cupped together like a bowl. A clergy person will come by first and give you bread that is the body of Christ. You can eat it right away or you can wait to dip it in the wine and then take it.
"The Blood of Christ, the cup of salvation"
Then a person will come by with the Chalice. This is a little intimidating if you aren’t used to it, but very beautiful. You can gently hold the cup, and with the server, guide it up to your lips and take a small sip of the wine. Or if you held onto the bread, you may dip it into the wine and then eat it. A person will take the wafer and he or she will dip it in the wine and gently place it on your tongue.
What will the music be like?
Music sets the tone and atmosphere for our worship, and it also carries our prayers to God. Our music seeks to draw us together as a community and draw us closer to God in our worship. Our 8 a.m. worship service is traditional, but with no music. Our 10 a.m. service is traditional but with a liturgical service featuring hymns.
We have an amazing organ that was given to St. Matthew's as a memorial to D. Jerauld Oven.
What do children experience?
The nursery is designed for children of any age. On Sundays, the children's ministry is called Compass Youth Hour and is available for children of all ages. Compass Youth Hour starts at 11:30.
Where is St. Matthew's located?
St. Matthew's Episcopal Church
518 W. Randolph Ave
Enid, OK. 73701
518 W. Randolph Ave
Enid, OK. 73701
Where do I park?
Our main parking lot is located behind the church. Most people enter into the church through the back door.
What do I wear?
St. Matthew's is a pretty relaxed place - no need for a suit or tie. You'll see jeans, khakis, button downs, polo shirts, & even T-shirts. Don't stress about what to wear.