St. Anne's Episcopal Church

Education for Ministry
Education for Ministry is another Christian formation program offered through the good offices of St. Anne's. This is a theological education by extension program of the University of the South (Sewanee). EFM is centered on small group seminar meetings coordinated by a mentor. It is a four year program covering the Old Testament, New Testament, Church History and Theology. Each EFM seminar session includes these components: worship, chapter discussion (of materials provided by Sewanee) and Theological Reflection (a special method developed by Sewanee over the past 25 years to relate the incidents of our lives to scripture.)

Altar Guild at St. Anne's

Almighty God, grant that I may handle holy things with

reverence, and perform my duties with such faithfulness

and devotion, that they may rise before Thee with acceptance

and obtain Thy blessing. In Jesus name, Amen.

(The Altar Guild Prayer of the Episcopal Church)

The ministry of setting the Lord's Table for the Eucharist and the other services at St. Anne's is carried out by the Altar Guild. Parishioners who are called to this ministry work primarily behind the scenes to prepare the church for our worship services and assist the priest in any way that we can. Our goal and "our responsibility is to facilitate the smooth and reverent function of our corporate worship." We set and clear, wash and iron, polish and dust, and carry out assorted other duties in this long-standing tradition of service in the Episcopal Church. Through this service, Altar Guild members learn much about the Episcopal Church, its liturgy, symbols, traditions and terms. We welcome and invite any who feel called to this ministry to speak to our priest for further information.

Eucharist Bread at St. Anne's

The bread used for the Eucharist each Sunday at St. Anne's is home baked by our parishioner "breadmakers." This has been an important part of the tradition at St. Anne's since its very earliest days. By way of explaining why home baked bread is important to us, many years ago, our second vicar wrote that "to be effectively present for me, I need Christ present in something that is a part of the reality of my life experience. Home made bread is; it requires no translation. It is an 'an outward and visible sign' which genuinely and energetically involves all of my human senses—it looks like bread, it smells like bread, it feels like bread, it tastes like bread and when it's broken it sounds like bread rather than a stale cracker."

Home made bread also involves the breadmaker in the Eucharistic feast. In describing the experience of making the Eucharist or Communion bread, several of our breadmakers have said the following:

"When you make Communion bread enjoy the kneading time; it's a wonderful time to pray."

"Making the Communion bread is a personal offering to God; it is worship, praise, prayer and thanksgiving in the same way our biblical forebearers offered up their best directly to God."

"Communion bread touches the prayerful spirit of the one who bakes it; then 'transformed' in Christ, it nourishes the multitude of spirits who partake in it."

"When we make Communion Bread we think about our St. Anne's family whom we will help feed. We feel a close connection to them all which will be echoed as we share the bread as Christ's body on Sunday morning."

"Making Communion bread is a sacred craft. As part of sacred worship, communion bread should not call attention to itself, by tasting too good or too bad."

"It's an honor to bake bread for our communion."

All are welcome to participate as breadmakers whether beginner or experienced bakers. The recipe we all use is an easy and forgiving one. Any one who feels called to this special ministry may speak to our priest for further information.