National Altar Guild Prayer
Most gracious Father Who has called me Your child to serve
in the preparation of Your Altar, so that it may be a suitable place
for the offering of Your Body and Blood;
sanctify my life and consecrate my hands so that I may worthily handle
those Sacred Gifts, which are being offered to You.
As I handle holy things, grant that my
whole life may be illuminated
and blessed by You, in whose honor I prepare them,
and grant that the people who shall be blessed by their use,
may find their lives drawn closer to Him Whose Body and Blood
is our hope and our strength,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Liturgy begins and ends with the work of the Altar Guild. To care for the sacred vessels, the bread and the wine, the fair linens and tapestry hangings, and the candles and torches used for worship in the Sanctuary – each aspect of this ministry is an honor and a joy to serve our Lord and the Holy Apostles family. The altar guild is a ministry – a gift of time and talent to serve God in His house.
The duty of the altar guild is to prepare all the things necessary for the celebration of the Eucharist or any of the other sacraments and offices of the church. These services are included in the Book of Common Prayer and the Book of Occasional Services. The housekeeping and decoration of God’s house is handled with sincere devotion and dignity in good taste.
The altar guild works out of the Sacristy on the left side of the Nave behind the altar. This group of women and men play an important role in supporting the clergy and must be available in preparation for all planned and unplanned services. The rector sets the rules, the style, and the tone of the services by personal preference for flowers, placement of the vessels used in the services, and whether to use incense or not. Holy Apostles organizes the altar guild into teams of two that take turns in a five to six week rotation to set up and clean up for all the services. During church holidays, the rotation is shortened so that the many services can be adequately covered. Our members are trained to set up the altar observing the church calendar colors/seasons, wash and iron linens, polish silver and brass, and help onboard new members.
The altar guild welcomes new additions to the team so you can share your talents to the glory of God.