Sunday, February 25, 2007
Trinity Episcopal Church
Buckingham, PA
Grade: C
Go to the corner of Rte 413 and 202 in Buckingham, PA. The church is within walking distance of the Wawa on Rte 413. Simple directions to this church can fool you, or at least me. Small, confusing, hard to read signs make finding your way into the parking lot difficult if you are not familiar with the church. After you figure it out the first time, you should be okay.
You will see an older building that looks like a church, right at the corner of Rte 413 and 202, with a driveway on Rte 202. Do not turn into the driveway. Ignore the small sign in front of the driveway. This building is no longer used as the main sanctuary. Backing out of this dead end driveway is not always fun or easy. Be careful.
Face your car in the direction of Rte 413, and turn right at the light. As you make the right hand turn on Rte 413, count to yourself one second, look to the right. Turn into the second driveway on the right side of the road. Within a couple of seconds of turning into the driveway, you will see a large sanctuary to your right. Notice the front doors. This is the entrance to the church. Follow the drive way for a few more seconds and you should be able to find plenty of parking.
Once you park your car, you will see several different ways to get into the sanctuary. Follow the driveway to the front of the church. Go up a few steps to the front door. As you enter the sanctuary a friendly person may hand you a church program.
The interior of the sanctuary is large with old fashioned pews, sedate, contemporary styling. The interior décor has a large stone wall behind the altar, with a cathedral like ceiling; add dim lighting for a somber feel.
Folks attending the 8am service tend to be on the dressier side when it comes to attire, unless you happen to be a fashion trendsetting teen. You will not be alone, if you put on a suit or your Sunday best.
The congregation is a mixture of older upper middle class whites, sprinkle in a few families, teenagers, people of color and you get the picture.
The service will remind you of a Catholic Mass with one exception. The pastor in charge was a woman.
8:00 - Announcements are made from the altar.
8:10 - The pastor starts the service. The service lasts for about 25 minutes. During the service you will be instructed to stand and kneel several times. If you’re not sure what to do, just watch the folks around you and do what they do. If you have health issues that prevent you from standing and kneeling just stay seated.
I’ll apologize in advance for not remembering the message from the service. What I do remember, was that it was non-offensive, given without much emotion. A few folks chuckled at several of the pastors remarks.
8:30 - The collection plate is passed around once. No big calls for money, during the service.
8:45 – Communion is given. Everyone leaves their pews, standing in a single file line, as they slowly walk to the altar.
Once you get to the altar, you will see a group of folks kneeling in front of the pastor at the altar, usually with hands held together, palm to palm in prayer. Communion comes in the form of a small piece of flat bread wafer about the size of a nickel. You can receive the wafer in your hand or your mouth.
The pastor stood in front of me, said a few words. I made the sign of the cross, and she put the wafer in my hand. I mumbled an “Amen”. The pastor moved on to the next person.
Once we were given communion, we all went back to our pews where we sat or knelt in silence.
8:55 - The service is over. The pastor stands a few feet from the main exit, shaking hands and making small talk with folks as they leave the building. Some folks did not stand in line and walked around the pastor, or took a side exit.
A church is much more then a service – sermon – building. I gave this church a “C” grade. You may give this church a different grade. It just depends on what you want and or need when it comes to visiting a church. Feel free to look this church up on the web.