Welcome to Epiphany

You are welcome anytime! Traditional Eucharist is offered four times each week - meaning we take part in Holy Communion each time. Our Sunday morning services are our most popular. We feature congregational singing during the 8:45 service and choral music during the 11:00 service. Our Saturday evening and Sunday morning services follow the Rite Two liturgy (except during Lent) and Rite One is used for our Wednesday afternoon worship. Our Cambodian-Anglican and Hindi/Urdu communities worship on Sunday afternoons and evenings, respectively.

Church of the Epiphany is located at 421 Custer Road in Richardson just west of North Central Expressway (US-75). West Arapaho Road is the nearest major interaction to the north and West Belt Line Road is the nearest major intersection to the south.

We invite you to come as you are. Your presence and participation is all that is needed to worship with us. You'll see congregants dressed from casual to formal, and everything in between. In our tradition the distinctive garments worn by leaders of the church’s worship are called vestments. Many of the church’s vestments are descended from the ordinary dress of the imperial Roman society in which the early church came into being.

The most convenient place to park is our south parking lot accessible from Custer Road. Visitors and newcomers are encouraged to park in our designated guest spaces indicated by signage.

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me.” (Matthew 19:14) Children and youth are a central part of congregational life at Epiphany. We delight in the sounds and voices of the littlest members of God’s people. Infants and toddlers can enjoy our nursery with plenty of toys and lots of natural light - staffed by a wonderful team. The nursery is available for all Sunday, Wednesday, and Saturday services. Kids ages 4 and up are encouraged to join Children's Chapel - an age-appropriate worship experience during both Sunday services for elementary-aged children. Kids wishing to participate should join their parents in the sanctuary for worship. Shortly after the service begins the congregation will sing the Hymn of Praise (Glory to God in the Highest). During this time children may gather at the front of the church and recess out. Just look for the Children's Chapel leader near the communion rail. Children's Chapel is a kid-friendly version of the service that the rest of the congregation participates in. Then, during Communion children rejoin their families to take part in the Great Thanksgiving in the sanctuary. If your children want to stay with you during worship, we encourage you to sit toward the front so they can see and hear everything going on.

We refer to our weekly worship service as the Holy Eucharist. Our services include music and are liturgical in nature. As you enter, be sure and take a bulletin. This is quite literally what keeps everyone on the same page and provides a detailed sequence for the service - including the prayers, page and hymn numbers, readings from scripture, and general information. On a typical Sunday, our services follow this general sequence: We begin by praising God through song and prayer and then listen to as many as four readings from the Bible. Usually one from the Old Testament, a Psalm, something from the Epistles, and always a reading from the Gospels. The psalm is usually sung or recited by the congregation. Next, a sermon interpreting the readings appointed for the day is preached. The congregation then recites the Nicene Creed, written in the Fourth Century and is the statement of what we believe ever since. Next, the congregation prays together for the Church, the World, and those in need. We pray for the sick, thank God for all the good things in our lives, and finally, we pray for the dead. The priest concludes with a prayer that gathers the petitions into a communal offering of intercession. In certain seasons of the Church year, the congregation formally confesses their sins before God and one another. This is a statement of what we have done and what we have left undone, followed by a pronouncement of absolution. In pronouncing absolution, the priest assures the congregation that God is always ready to forgive our sins. The congregation then greets one another with a sign of peace. Next, the priest stands at the altar table, which has been set with wine and bread, and greets the congregation again, saying "The Lord be With You." This begins the Eucharistic Prayer, in which the priest tells the story of our faith, from the beginning of Creation, through the choosing of Israel to be God’s people, through our continual turning away from God, and God’s calling us to return. Finally, the priest tells the story of the coming of Jesus Christ, and about the night before his death, on which he instituted the Eucharistic meal (communion) as a continual remembrance of him. The priest blesses the bread and wine, and the congregation recites the Lord’s Prayer. Finally, the priest breaks the bread and offers it to the congregation, as the gifts of God for the People of God. The congregation then takes communion with the consecrated bread and wine. Guided by the ushers in the center aisle, the people all come forward to receive the bread and wine and return to their seats. All are welcome to come forward during this time. At the end of the Eucharist, the congregation prays once more in thanksgiving and then are dismissed to continue the life of service to God and to the World. Our worship typically lasts just over one hour in length. Special services (e.g. baptisms) and Major Feasts (e.g. Christmas and Easter) can sometimes run a little longer.

Our services are written in both traditional and contemporary language. The traditional language rites are known as Rite One, and the contemporary language rites are known as Rite Two. Rite One liturgies reflect the language and piety of the Elizabethan era and the first published Book of Common Prayer. The Rite Two liturgies reflect the influence of the liturgical movement and contemporary theology. Rite Two liturgies tend to reflect greater sensitivity for inclusive language issues.

Put simply, liturgical means that the congregation follows service forms and prays from texts that don’t change greatly from week to week during a season of the year. This consistency from week to week gives worship a rhythm that becomes comforting and familiar to the congregation. For the first-time visitor, liturgy may be unfamiliar. Services involve standing, sitting, kneeling, sung or spoken responses, and other participatory elements that may provide a challenge for a newcomer. However, liturgical worship can be compared with a dance: once you learn the steps, you come to appreciate the rhythm, and it becomes satisfying to dance, again and again, as the music changes. For many that are new to the faith or come from other religious traditions - liturgy is often cited as one of the key reasons that people find a spiritual home in the Episcopal Church. We encourage you to try it out a few times. Most people come to love it! Don't worry about "doing something wrong". Your presence and participation are what's important.

All are welcome to come forward to the altar rail and kneel as you are able. All baptized Christians no matter age or denomination are welcome to receive communion. We invite all baptized people to receive, not because we take the Eucharist lightly, but because we take our baptism so seriously. To receive communion, place your hands out so that a priest may give you the host (bread). Once you have received the host, you may eat it or wait to intinct (dip) it in the wine. After the bread, another minister will come with the wine in a chalice. To consume the wine you may drink directly from the common cup or intinct the wafer into the wine. If you wish to intinct, leave the bread in your hand and the minister will dip it into the wine for you and place it on your tongue. If you would like a gluten-free wafer, place one arm across your chest to indicate this to the priest. Those who are not baptized Christians are encouraged to come forward during the Communion to receive a blessing. To receive a blessing, place your arms across your chest (like an X) to indicate this to the priest. Once you receive your blessing, you may return to your pew.