For an uplifting way to start your day with scripture or the prayer book, please visit Abbreviated Morning Prayer . You may contact the Rector, Curate, or church offices of St. John's Episcopal Church by clicking here . The world-wide communion of Anglican churches comprises 22 provinces in 548 dioceses with 49,804,487 members across all continents. Each of the 36 churches making up the Anglican Communion use various versions of The Book of Common Prayer in their daily and weekly worship services. The Eucharist is the central worship experience for the congregations of these 36 churches.
Christians are a people of the book, that is, the Bible.
The Bible is the first and foremost standard for theology and liturgy. The point is that we Anglicans have very rich resources-the Bible and the Prayer Book to guide our spiritual lives and to keep us pointed toward God. But like all resources we must be good stewards of the gifts that have been given to us. On this night we celebrate the Liturgy, participate in the washing of the Feet, observe the Stripping of the Altar, and begin the Watch before the Blessed Sacrament in the Chapel. We place ourselves at the table in the Upper Room with our Lord and remember His words of institution, those that we echo over and over again as we express our sacramental lives in the Holy Eucharist.