Come Worship With Us!
“For where two or three are gathered together in My name,
I am there in the midst of them.” – Matthew 18:20
Christ's Chapel Anglican Church is a vibrant and welcoming community, located in the heart of Riverside, California, and committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ and the truths of the Christian faith.
As a parish of the Reformed Episcopal Church (REC), we embrace the rich heritage of Anglicanism while holding fast to the absolute authority of Scripture.
Our Mission: Christ’s Chapel Anglican Church exists to glorify God while making disciples for The Lord Jesus Christ. We believe in the transformative power of God's Word and the Holy Spirit, and we are passionate about sharing the hope and saving grace found in Jesus Christ.
Worship: At the heart of our church life is worship. Our services blend the beauty of Anglican liturgy with heartfelt expressions of praise and worship. By embracing the traditional liturgy found in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, our services create a sacred space where individuals and families can encounter God, grow in their faith, and experience the joy of true worship.
Fellowship: We are a family of believers who value genuine relationships. Our church is a place where people from all walks of life can come together, connect, and build meaningful relationships.
Teaching: Grounded in the theology of the Reformed tradition, as stated in the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, our teaching is biblically sound, relevant, and applicable to everyday life. We are committed to helping individuals grow in their understanding of God's Word and encouraging a deep, personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Whether you are exploring faith for the first time or looking for a church home, we invite you to join us on Sunday mornings at 11:30am.
Sundays at 11:30am!
We worship at Calvary Presbyterian Church:
4495 Magnolia Avenue, Riverside, California 92501
Our
Story
What to Expect
Worship lies at the heart of Christian life and faith. In worship, we express our faith through the means of grace: preaching, praying, singing, and sacrament. It is through encountering God within worship that we are formed, and transformed, as God’s people.
Our Sunday service follows the traditional 1662 Book of Common Prayer liturgy along with familiar hymns. Our Children’s Church is offered to families with younger children during a portion of our service.
Arrival
As you arrive at our church, you will be warmly greeted and handed both a Book of Common Prayer, a hymnal and a Sunday service leaflet. As you walk into the church you will notice an atmosphere of reverence and quiet. Many people kneel for a few moments of silent prayer to prepare the heart, mind, and will for worship.
Generally, we stand to sing, sit to listen, and kneel to pray. You may notice there will be some who make the sign of the cross and bow at various times. These are various ways we express our faith using our whole body.
But please, do not let any of this make you feel uncomfortable! Our Anglican practice is: All may, some do, but no one must.
The Liturgy
At the heart of our liturgical practices lies the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, a cherished resource that has shaped Anglican worship for centuries. This prayer book provides a structured and comprehensive guide to our services, ensuring a cohesive and meaningful experience for all who gather in our church.
From the opening sentences to the final blessing, the liturgy has been carefully crafted to guide us through a spiritual journey, encompassing prayers, readings from Scripture, and moments of reflection grounded in the truths of the Reformation.
The word “liturgy” comes from the Greek and means, “a work of the people,” so you can expect to be involved! While much of this may seem unfamiliar to some, you will find it very easy to follow along. In the Anglican Tradition, we read the Word, we sing the Word, pray the Word, and we display the Word in the sacraments of the Lord's Supper and Baptism.
The Preaching
At Christ’s Chapel, we believe in the authority and relevance of the Bible. We believe the Bible to be the inerrant, infallible, inspired Word of the true and living God, our only rule of faith and practice. Our sermons are grounded in biblical truth, seeking to nourish the hearts and minds of our congregation with the timeless wisdom found in God's Word. Through expository sermons that carefully unpack the meanings of the Scriptures, we encounter the gospel of Jesus Christ in every text.
Holy Communion
Central to our Eucharistic theology is the belief in the spiritual real presence of Christ in the consecrated elements of bread and wine. As we partake in this sacred meal, we affirm our unity with Christ and with one another, experiencing the mystery of the Incarnation in the simple elements of the Eucharist.
We at Christ’s Chapel explicitly reject a belief in transubstantiation (or the change of the substance of Bread and Wine) and also forbid the sacrament from being reserved, carried around, lifted up, or adored/worshiped (cf. Article XXVIII).
In accordance with the principles of the Reformation, we offer Holy Communion in both kinds to all baptized Christians, who are in good standing with their church, regardless of their tradition.
It's our practice to receive Holy Communion from the common cup. However, intinction is also available by request.
Children
“Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.”
Luke 18:16
Here at Christ’s Chapel Anglican Church, we wholeheartedly affirm that children are a blessing from the Lord, and are delighted to welcome them into our service. For this reason, every noise they make is a joyful noise unto the Lord in our ears. Please know that your little ones are welcome, wiggles and all!
Additionally, we are committed to training the children that God has given our church, and handing down the Faith that we have received. We have found that many of the children learn to sit through the service and eventually try and follow their parents lead by participating in the liturgy.
Right before the sermon, younger children are dismissed for a brief but engaging lesson during the sermon. Once the sermon is over (about 20 minutes) the children will return and come with their parents to the communion rail for a blessing as their parents commune.
After Service
Once the service has concluded, please plan on staying a few minutes to meet our congregation and leadership. We would love to learn your name and learn a bit more about you. Every six weeks we have a meal in the fellowship hall and you are always more than welcome to join us!