St. Joan of Arc Episcopal Church

Most of our members knew nothing about The Episcopal Church when they started worshiping God with us, so don’t worry if you don’t either.

We believe all of our life is worship, a way of saying thank you to God for Life. However, on Sundays we gather together to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus, just as Christians have since the first Pentecost in the 1st Century.

At our weekday Morning Prayer and Sunday worship, we use the Book of Common Prayer, an actual paper and ink book, to pray with the worldwide Anglican Communion.
The book takes a little getting used to, but we will help you, and before long it will be a beloved companion in your spiritual journey.

One of the most obvious things you will notice if you worship with us is the Vestments. The vicar, our pastor and priest, wears robes, or vestments. Like soldiers, physicians, and firefighters, these garments remind us of the role our clergy serve in the community. We also have vestments for our people who do other jobs in the congregation and for baptisms.

In our worship we try to be formal, but not stuffy. Orderly, but not rigid. Jesus said “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." As in everything we follow the head of our Church, Jesus.

Here’s a short video about going to church as a grownup.

YES!

Kids are welcome at all our services. God put the wiggles in kids, so we expect them to act their age! The noise of children is a wonderful thing to hear in Church, and we know how much effort it takes to get them out the door on a Sunday morning. So, feel free to keep your kids with you.

Most Sundays our Children’s Activity Director Tricia Haenchen, will lead the children to our children’s learning centers for fun and Bible stories. Our Children’s Ministry is in keeping with our Safeguarding God’s Children standards.

The children may come back (if desired) for the communion service, and many will help Fr. David at the altar.

On Sundays when we stream to Zoom and YouTube for our home bound folks, our camera operator is very careful to never film any children or adults without consent of the parents.

When it comes time for communion, you have lots of options.

You can stay in your seat and watch, pray, or think.

You can get in the line for communion.

When/if you come up, the priest will hand you a piece of the consecrated bread. Sometimes we have homemade bread, sometimes we use wafers. You can eat the bread immediately. Then go to the person holding the chalice of port wine and receive by sipping. Just grab the large base of the chalice with your hands and use that to sip.

The chalice bearer will be wiping and turning the chalice each time someone sips. The wine is fortified port wine and will taste sweet. Click this here for more information about the health risks associated with the “Common Cup”.

If you would like to abstain from the wine completely for whatever reason, that is ok. Some people who abstain from alcohol do this. We believe that communion in one kind (just the bread) is just as spiritually meaningful as taking it in both kinds.

If you would like to “intinct” or dip the bread in the wine instead of sipping it, indicate you want a a gluten free wafer by saying “gluten free” or holding your outstretched hands palm down so the priest will know to give you a gf wafer.

If you would like to only receive a blessing just come up in the line, place your hands over your heart and the priest will know not to give you communion but a blessing. This is appropriate for Christians of other denominations, people of other religions, or people who have no religious preference or affiliation.

We love questions about communion! Just ask someone or text or call the vicar at (512) 571-4124.

Absolutely. Restrooms are located near the front door and they are both gender neutral and lockable for individual use. You can get up any time during the service to use these facilities or take a break.

We are working hard to be a trauma informed church, which means some of our members need to take a break from time to time. We take your needs for safety seriously and want this church to be a safe place for all. No weapons of any kind are allowed in the building or on school property.

Yes! Sign up for Flocknotes text updates for Zoom links on Sundays and for weekday morning prayer.

At our worship services, we read from the Bible, the Word of God. We call it the Word of God because God inspired its human authors and because God still speaks to us through the Bible. All our sermons come from the Bible, and we have a weekly Bible study on Tuesday morning. We have a prayer about how we read and teach the Bible that is very old:

Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; grant us that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them; that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our savior Jesus Christ.

We are a service-oriented church with many opportunities to help our community. Because these opportunities change with our community’s need, the best way to get involved is to sign up for Flocknotes text updates, or get in touch with the Rev. David Peters via email or text/call.

We are a small church so we don’t have many teens who attend weekly. This may mean you may not see any here when you visit with your teen! The vicar wants you to know this: We will do everything to encourage your teen in their spiritual life as they grow in to the adult God has called them to be. The vicar will meet with your family personally and come up with a plan for your child that respects their/your boundaries, meets your family’s needs, and offers unlimited access to every ministry of the Church and larger Diocese of Texas. We are partnered with St. David’s Episcopal Church in Downtown Austin and will provide transport and accompany your teen to their youth activities as we build our own community here in Pflugerville. The vicar, David Peters, began his career as a youth minister and then served as an army chaplain (a youth group with guns), so your teen will be a priority at this church.

In Feb 2024 we started a Wednesday Pizza Lunch with some of our High School students from Pflugerville High and had a great turnout and ddiscussion! Please contact the vicar, David, for more info 5125714124.