Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit

Adult Choir

To assist in and lead congregational singing and to provide music during the offertory to help prepare the Congregation for communion. Spend one hour per week on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 – 8:00 pm and Sunday mornings from 10:00– 10:30 am preparing music for Sunday 10:30 worship; Additional choir performances are scheduled for special church services at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.

Adult Christian Education

A gracious hour together with coffee, doughnuts, wonderful people, stimulating and challenging ideas, encouraging thoughts, and vivid stories from God’s Word and from God’s World: All for the glory of God and with warm love for each other! We meet on Sunday mornings at 9:00 am in the Parish Hall.

Bible Study

Group Bible study, prayer, and fellowship. Open to anyone wishing to participate in group Bible study.  Women current meet on Tuesdays from 10:00 – 11:00 am in the Parish Library.  What we study is a group decision.  There is no homework. Purchase of study guides is optional.

Episcopal Church Women

Fellowship, fundraising and outreach. Membership is open to all Episcopal Church women regardless of age.  Meetings are normally held on the 2nd Saturday of each month.  ECW sponsors a Compassion Ministries apartment by stocking groceries at the beginning of each family’s stay and re-supplying linens, blankets, towels and pots and pans when needed.  Fundraisers are held to support charitable organizations in the Waco community.

Men's Fellowship

Men of the church – join us for breakfast every Thursday at 7:00 am. We eat, we visit, we sing, we have a bible reading, and then we circle up and pray! Volunteers provide food for home bound parishioners and help finance mission trips in Mexico. Join us!!

Newcomer's Ministry

Welcome visitors and those interested in becoming members of Holy Spirit Church. Volunteers act as greeters at the 8:00 and 10:30 am church worship. Commitment is approximately once a month, 30 minutes prior to the start of the assigned service.

To support our children in their life in Christ (the promise we make during the Baptismal Liturgy); to provide our children with age-appropriate worship opportunity during the 9:30 bible study hour and the 10:30 am service; to provide fun events for the children and promote fellowship for families with younger children.  

Acolytes

Acolytes are scheduled approximately once a month. Youth acolytes usually serve at 10:30 worship on Sundays; adults normally serve at 8:00 worship on Sundays. Youth and adults may also be called for service during weddings, funerals, and special church worship (Easter, Christmas, All-Saints, etc.) Training sessions are scheduled as necessary.

Altar Guild

Altar Guild Angels prepare the Altar, appointments and vestments for worship and Holy Eucharist. Time commitment averages approximately 4 hours per assigned week. Membership in the Altar Guild is open to any man or woman who is confirmed and regularly attends church services. Volunteers are trained and assigned to one of four teams, which rotate on a weekly basis to prepare the altar, linens, crystal, silver, brass and candles for the regular services on Sunday and Wednesday, after which the nave is reordered for the next service. There may be additional requirements for the seasons of Advent, Lent and Easter as well as for weddings, funerals, baptisms and confirmations. This ministry gives members insight into why Episcopalians do what we do, offers small group camaraderie and is a unique opportunity to serve God in His church.

Bereavement

The Bereavement Groups consist of about twenty-five women divided into five groups. Our ministry provides food to families following funerals. We offer a reception at the church or will take food to homes.

Community Life

Community life organizes and hosts parish-wide events that bring parishioners together for Christian fellowship. Events include: Parish Picnic, Ash Wednesday Soup Supper, Easter Sunday breakfast, and luncheons or receptions for Episcopal visits. Way to become involved: select an event and help with one of the following: set-up, prepare beverages, set out food, clean-up, and laundering linens.

Daughters of the King

Daughters of the King is an Order for Episcopal woman that requires the spiritual discipline of daily prayer, service and evangelism. Meetings are held on the first Sunday of each month at 1:00 pm. Communicants are required to attend an eight-week preparation course in order to be inducted. Service projects include participating in Operation Christmas Child which sends Christmas gift boxes for children living all over the world.

Lay Liturgical Ministry

Provides leadership in corporate worship, administer Holy Communion to homebound. Communicants must be licensed to serve as Worship Leaders, Eucharistic Ministers, Eucharistic Visitors, and Lectors in order to participate in the Lay Ministry.

Outreach Ministry

The act of extending services, benefits, etc., to a wider section of the population, through community work. Meetings are held monthly. Recommendations are made to the Vestry regarding financial support for local charities. Commitment is approximately one hour per month studying charity programs and working with other committee members to make expenditure recommendations to the Vestry.

Pastoral Care

Outreach to those on both our parish prayer list and our sick/shut-in list. Activities include praying for and following-up on the status of persons who are on the parish intercessory prayer list; praying for and maintaining contact with those who are shut-in to help meet their needs; praying for and helping, when needed, the widows and widowers in our congregation; informing the priest when someone desires Holy Communion brought to them. We also have a Chef of the Month who offers to bring two meals to those who come home from the hospital. Ways you can become involved: volunteer for Chef of the Month, send cards, make phone calls or send e-mails to establish a relationship with a contact person (the one who places those on our lists), make home/hospital/nursing home visits. Monthly meetings are held in the church library.

Sacred Ground is dialogue series on race, grounded in faith. Small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America’s history of race, racism, and whiteness while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity. The 10-part series is built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories.

Sacred Ground is a resource coming out of Becoming Beloved Community, The Episcopal Church’s long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in our personal lives, our ministries, and our society. This series is especially designed to help white people talk with other white people, while being open to all racial/ethnic groups. Participants are invited to peel away the layers that have contributed to the challenges and divides of the present day – all while grounded in our call to faith, hope and love.