About All Saints’

Welcome to All Saints’ Episcopal Church, where tradition and faith abound.

The Mission

All Saints’ Episcopal Church welcomes all generations and seeks to bring people closer to Christ through traditional worship, fellowship, and service.

All Saints’ Values

Growth: We seek to grow continually as disciples of Jesus Christ, in every area of our life, through worship, learning, and service.

Tradition: We treasure the rich heritage of Christian faith embodied in Holy Scripture, and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, to which we look as the standard for our common devotion and belief, and a primary source of the reverence we experience in worship.

Fellowship: We create a welcoming community that fosters authentic relationships across generations, exploring our faith together, sharing meals, and serving both our community and one another.

Service: We actively invest time, talent, and treasure to serve the needs of our neighbors.

Glory: We strive to glorify God through sacred music and the arts, and through careful stewardship of the beauty committed to us by generations past.

What to Expect

Alternating services of Morning Prayer and the Holy Eucharist are held Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The morning worship is accompanied by the singing of hymns and traditional organ music.

Children’s Church is held during the morning service and children are excused before the Liturgy.

Newcomer Information

Through Tradition, we treasure the rich heritage of Christian faith embodied in Holy Scripture, and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, to which we look as the standard for our common devotion and belief, and a primary source of the reverence we experience in worship.

Worship Style

Episcopalians worship in many different styles, ranging from very formal, ancient, and multi-sensory rites with singing, music, formal vestments, and incense, to informal services with contemporary music. However, all worship in the Episcopal Church is based in the Book of Common Prayer, which gives worship a familiar feel, no matter where you go. All Saints’ Episcopal Church bases its services on the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, allowing for a more traditional style of worship.
Liturgy and Ritual

Worship in the Episcopal Church is said to be liturgical, meaning that the congregation follows a form of service that does not change greatly from week to week. This sameness from week to week gives worship a rhythm that becomes comforting and familiar to the congregation.

For the first-time visitor, liturgy may be exhilarating — or confusing. Services involve standing, sitting, kneeling, sung or spoken responses, and other participatory elements that may provide a challenge for the first-time visitor. Recognizing how confusing this can be for those who are not familiar with what we are doing, the ushers will distribute a service bulletin as you arrive outlining the order of the service. Liturgical worship can be compared with a dance; once you learn the steps, you come to appreciate and embrace the rhythm, and it becomes satisfying to dance, again and again.
Morning Prayer
Morning Worship
The Holy Eucharist

In spite of the diversity of worship styles in the Episcopal Church, Holy Eucharist always has the same components and the same shape.

We begin by praising God through song and acknowledging his presence with us. We then listen to two readings from the Bible; usually one is from the Epistles, and there is always a reading from the Gospels.

Next we recite the Nicene Creed, which was written in the Fourth Century and is the Episcopal Church’s statement of belief. Following the Creed there is a sermon or a briefer talk, known as a homily.

The priest then lays the table with the bread and the wine, and the congregation prays together. We pray for the world, the church, the sick, and the departed.

Next, we formally confess our sins before God and one another. This is a corporate statement of what we have done and what we have left undone. The priest then pronounces absolution, which is the assurance that God is always ready to forgive our sins.

Now begins the Eucharistic Prayer, in which the priest tells the story of God’s giving of his son, Jesus Christ, and about the night before his death, on which Jesus 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, who then come forward to share both the consecrated bread and wine.

All baptized Christians — no matter age or denomination — are welcome to receive communion. Episcopalians invite all baptized people to receive, not because we take the Eucharist lightly, but because we take our baptism so seriously.

Visitors who are not baptized Christians are welcome to come forward during the Communion to receive a blessing from the priest.

At the end of the Eucharist, the congregation prays once more in thanksgiving, sings the Gloria, which is an ancient hymn of praise, and then is dismissed to continue the life of service to God and to the world.
Children's Church

We provide child care on Sunday mornings during church services, as well as on Wednesday evenings, when adults attend Body and Soul. Additionally, child care is available for other special church events. On Sunday mornings, you may take your young children to the Parish Hall before the service and pick them up when church is over.

For children attending the service, we provide LCD tablets to keep small hands happy.
How Do I Become a Member

We provide child care on Sunday mornings during church services, as well as on Wednesday evenings, when adults attend Body and Soul. Additionally, child care is available for other special church events. On Sunday mornings, you may take your young children to the Parish Hall before the service and pick them up when church is over.

For children attending the service, we provide LCD tablets to keep small hands happy.

Occasional Sacraments

Occasional sacraments at All Saints’ Episcopal Church mark significant moments in the spiritual journey, such as baptisms, confirmations, weddings, and funerals. These special rites, deeply rooted in tradition, offer opportunities for individuals and families to celebrate and honor God’s presence in their lives during key life events.

Holy Baptism

Holy Baptism is the sacrament whereby a child or adult is incorporated into the Church. For this reason, it usually happens in the context of a Sunday morning Eucharist. Under special circumstances, the Rector will perform private Baptisms. Please call the office to arrange a date for a Baptism. You will be asked to complete a Request for Baptism Form.
Holy Matrimony

The Rector is delighted to perform marriages for parish members and their families. We do not rent the Church for weddings for others. Please call the office to arrange a date for your wedding. You will be asked to complete a Request for a Wedding Form. The marriage of divorced persons is permitted in the Episcopal Church, but the Rector is required to seek the permission of the Bishop of Georgia. Those seeking remarriage should complete a Petition to the Bishop for Consent.

Only under exceptional circumstances do weddings happen during Lent. The Canons of the Church state that a priest must have 30 days notice of an impending wedding, and the Bishop requires 90 days notice when his permission is being sought by divorced persons.

Weddings performed at All Saints’ follow the service from the Book of Common Prayer. Please discuss your plans for photography with the Rector. It is important that the solemnity of the occasion is maintained.
Burials

Within the confines of The Book of Common Prayer, the Rector’s desire is to accommodate family wishes regarding burial services. To this end, parishioners are encouraged to consult with the Rector about their wishes while they are healthy. A record of your wishes is then kept in the Church Office, which can be of great comfort to your next of kin after your death.

Please notify the Rector immediately in the case of the death or impending death of a loved one. He will work with you on finding a time for the service that will be convenient for you and your family. It helps if you contact him before contacting the funeral home.

Burial services may or may not be in the context of a Eucharist, and they may take place in the Church or at the gravesite. Parishioners’ cremains may be placed permanently in the Memorial Garden.

If you wish, cremains or caskets may lie in the Chapel before the service. Receptions after the service may also take place in the Parish Hall.
Hospital Callings

Hospitals are no longer permitted to contact a church when one of its members is admitted. Please let the church office know if a member of your family is entering the hospital. The Rector will want to visit them and pray with them. If so desired, he will also anoint the sick and bring communion.
Communion of the Sick

If you are ill or otherwise prevented from attending Church, the rector will be glad to bring Communion to your home or hospital. Please just call and let us know of your desire. The sacrament of Holy Communion brings strength and comfort at times of weakness. Your family members and friends, who may also find comfort in sharing with you, may also be present.

Physical Address
443 S. Hansell St.
Thomasville, Georgia

Mailing Address
Post Office Box 2626
Thomasville, Georgia 31799

Worship Times
Sundays: 10:30AM & 5:00PM
Prayer Book Holy Days: 12:00PM

(229) 228-9242