Worshiping From Home

Welcome

Welcome to St. Alban’s Church! Every Sunday, and most days in between, people gather in this place to worship, to learn, to grow, to share the joys and struggles of our lives, and to seek God’s grace in the midst of our lives. We do not come because we have it all figured out, but because we are seeking light on the way. We come as we are and welcome one another.

On this website, you can find information about our worship, our classes for people of all ages, membership at St. Alban's, and about how we seek to make a difference in this world. We warmly encourage you to join us for a Sunday service or for some of the many other events that happen here. You belong at St. Alban’s.

Please fill out this welcome form to connect with us.

Directions

St. Alban’s Episcopal Church is located next to the Washington National Cathedral at the corner of Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues in the northwest section of the District of Columbia.

From either direction on the north loop of the Capital Beltway/I-495 follow signs for Route 355/Wisconsin Ave south toward DC. St. Alban’s is located on the left just before the intersection of Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues NW. Make a left onto Lych Gate Rd before you reach Massachusetts Ave. As you enter the drive, the church will be on your left and Satterlee Hall and the Rectory on the right. Stay on Lych Gate until it becomes Pilgrim Rd.

From any Virginia main in-bound thoroughfare (George Washington Memorial Parkway, I-395, Route 50, I-66), follow signs to Rosslyn and take the Key Bridge from Rosslyn north across the Potomac River into Georgetown. Go right on M St, left on Wisconsin Ave. St. Alban’s is located on the right just after the intersection of Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues NW. Make a right onto Lych Gate Rd after passing Massachusetts. As you enter the drive, the church will be on your left and Satterlee Hall and the Rectory on the right. Stay on Lych Gate until it becomes Pilgrim Rd.

Parking is available on Pilgrim Road Monday-Friday after 3:30 pm and all day Saturday and Sunday. Parking is also available in the Cathedral’s underground garage for a fee Monday- Saturday and for free on Sunday. You may also park on neighborhood streets according to DC parking signs.

For Your Kids

At St. Alban’s Parish the formation of our children is a high priority. While we know that a significant amount of a child’s faith comes from the home, we aim to provide excellent children’s formation throughout the year to complement the formation that is ongoing in a child’s life. Our goal is to help children easily point to the love of God in their lives.

Worship: Children’s Chapel meets at the start of the 9:00 a.m. service in Nourse Hall. Children join the congregation in "big church" at the Peace, in time for Eucharist.

Education: All church school classes resume the Sunday after Labor Day with our annual Open House. Instruction starts the following Sunday.

Nursery care: Child care is available from 9:00 to 11:05 a.m. during the program year (September to May) for infants and children under 3 who aren’t quite ready for our 2s & 3s class.

Learn more about Children's Ministries

Youth Ministry

Four teen groups participate in formation classes at St. Alban’s on Sunday mornings. We use the nationally recognized Episcopal curriculum “Journey to Adulthood," or J2A. J2A has two guiding principles: 1) Manhood and womanhood are gifts of God; and 2) Adulthood must be earned. This is a strong program with over 50 youth participating, many of whom engage in a wide variety of ministries at St. Alban’s. Two or three adults mentor each of the groups for two years, sharing their own faith journeys and forming strong bonds of fellowship with the participants.

Worship: St. Alban’s Teen Service Fellowship starts at 9:00 a.m. and is a separate service just for our teens held in the Little Sanctuary at St. Albans School. This interactive service offers teens time to talk about life, the Gospel, and to celebrate Eucharist together. The teens return to "big church," before heading to their classes at the conclusion of the 9:00 a.m. worship service. Friends are always welcome.

Learn more about Youth Ministries

The Episcopal Church

As Episcopalians, we follow Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We believe in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe God is active in our everyday lives through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and with each other in Christ. The Church pursues its mission as it prays and worships, proclaims the gospel, and promotes justice, peace and love. The Church carries out its mission through the ministry of all of its members.

We uphold the Bible and worship with the Book of Common Prayer. We believe the Holy Scriptures are the revealed Word of God. In worship we unite ourselves with one another to acknowledge the holiness of God, to hear God's Word, to offer prayer and praise, and to celebrate the Sacraments. The Celebration of Holy Eucharist is the central act of worship in accordance with Jesus' command to His disciples. Holy Communion may be received by all baptized Christians, not only members of the Episcopal Church.

The Episcopal Church is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion with 70 million members in 165 countries. The word "Episcopal" refers to government by bishops. The historic episcopate continues the work of the first apostles in the Church, guarding the faith, unity and discipline of the Church. Both men and women, including those who are married, are eligible for ordination as deacons, priests and bishops.

We strive to love our neighbors as ourselves and respect the dignity of every person. We welcome all to find a spiritual home in the Episcopal Church.

Worshiping From Home

Posted by The Rev'd Geoffrey Hoare on March 16, 2020 with 2 Comments

[St. Alban's offered a recorded video service on Sunday morning, March 15, since we could not gather for worship due to the coronavirus outbreak. The video was posted to the website at 8:00 a.m. and available until 2:00 p.m.]

I was prepared to hate it! However, it turned out to be a pretty good experience.

Sage, Ruthie, Allyson and I gathered around our dining room table facing a computer screen. After some discussion we thought it would be weird to follow a communion service without communion, so we prepared a little bread and wine and lit some candles.

The quality of the sound was good, as was the pacing. Having the four members of the clergy standing behind the altar was not as wooden as I feared it would be.

Scholars debate whether the last supper was a Seder or simply a ‘Seder-like’ meal. I’m clear that Eucharist really needs to be something offered at a particular time in a particular place, but am OK calling this virtual worship a ‘Eucharist-like’ event.

For more on the scholarship behind this, you might enjoy the Dean of the Berkeley Divinity School’s blog. Andrew McGowan is a Liturgical Scholar and his March 14 piece, Liturgy in a Time of Plague, is good stuff.

What I will be thinking about with my colleagues going forward is whether the recorded video experience is better than a live-streamed service, and whether we can create a liturgy specifically for a virtual service.

Comments

Susan Quainton March 16, 2020 3:38pm

We watched both the St. Alban's video at 9 (well, a little late) and the Cathedral live-stream at 11:15. We felt drawn in by both. Either way it felt real. The Cathedral music was a wonderful way to participate. We sang as well as joining in prayers and responses.

LLear&J Nickum March 22, 2020 9:16am

Enjoyed having the music added, lovely choir. Service was especially meaningful as we are closed off from each other. Q=Was shocked to hear Neil Wilson on the prayer list. We will pray for him. Thankfully, blessings to you all.

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For Your Kids

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Alban Life - Worshiping From Home

Worshiping From Home

Comments