About Grace Anglican Church Brantford
We are an inclusive community of faith seeking to be obedient to Jesus’ teachings and model his love.
The Anglican Church of Canada has its roots in the Church of England, which separated from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century. Influenced by the Protestant Reformation, the new English church simplified rituals and introduced the Book of Common Prayer (1549), which enabled services in English instead of Latin. At the same time, the church preserved certain traditions, including the early church creeds and the succession of bishops from the line of the apostles. Because of this history, Anglicanism is sometimes referred to as “Reformed Catholicism.”
Anglicanism travelled abroad with British colonial expansion. In 1578, near present-day Iqaluit, NU, a chaplain celebrated the Eucharist as a member of Martin Frobisher’s Arctic expedition. This was the first Anglican Eucharist in what is now Canada, but it wasn’t until the 18th and 19th centuries that Anglicanism truly took hold, as military chaplains, Loyalists, and British immigrants fanned out and settled across the growing colony. Missionaries arrived as well, endeavouring to meet the spiritual needs of settlers and to evangelize Indigenous Peoples.
Gradually the Canadian church carved out its own identity. In 1787, Charles Inglis of Nova Scotia became the first bishop in British North America. More dioceses cohered as the population grew, and in 1893, the dioceses created the national body of General Synod. In 1955, the church changed its name from “the Church of England in the Dominion of Canada” to “the Anglican Church of Canada.”
Today the Anglican Church of Canada is an independent, self-governing church in communion with the other 44 churches of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It includes more than 500,000 members in nearly 1,700 parishes, and like Canada, the church has become culturally diverse. On any given Sunday the tradition of common prayer is expressed across Canada in many languages, including Inuktitut, French, Spanish, and Cree.
What To Expect When You Arrive
We are so glad you found us! We hope that you will come see us on at the corner of West and Albion in Brantford. The church is right across from the Bell Memorial Park and takes up the block between Pearl and Albion.
Attending a new Church can be a little strange. So, this is a description of what you will and may encounter when you arrive at Grace.
Our parking lot is located ½ block from West on Albion St. An accessible entrance is around the other side of the building at West and Pearl St. When you enter Grace there will be someone to greet you. They may be an official Greeter or fellow attendee. Don’t be afraid to ask questions almost everybody can help you unless they are new too!
You will receive the necessary books and papers for the day. All of the pews have hymn books and the bulletin will tell you page numbers for both the service bits and the hymns.
The service begins when the Rector welcomes everyone and we sing the opening hymn. The choir is great and processes into the worship space leading us in song!
If you have young children with you, we do have a nursery and Sunday school. The children attend the first portion of the service and we invite them to the front for a Children’s time after the Gathering of the Community. They then go to Sunday School with our awesome teachers or the nursery with super care givers. Having said that children are also most welcome to stay with you in the service if that is your preference. We have activity packages for them. Just ask one of our greeters or anybody else where they are.
Scripture reading from the Bible are read by members of the congregation, the psalm is shared by all or sung by the choir, and the Gospel reading of the day is read by the Rector or the person preaching that day.
Sometimes there is an Anthem or solo after the homily.
Prayers are then offered & followed collecting the offering. Just before the offering/collection is the Peace. People around you will turn to you, shake your hand, and say something like God’s Peace be with you or the Peace of Christ or our little ones may say the Pea’s of Christ. Some people who know each other well may hug each other as well. They often leave their seat to greet as many people as possible in the time allotted. Sometimes the Peace gets quite lively; please don’t be afraid, it will get under control again.
For the offering you will find some envelopes in the pews. These are for you to use if you would like to make a financial contribution that morning. There is a place for your name and address, so a charitable receipt can be mailed to you. There are also places for you to indicate whether you would like our Rector (in other words our clergy/minister/Priest/Pastor) to contact you or indicate what you would prefer from a variety of other choices. If you don’t wish to contribute, that’s fine, we are just really glad you are here.
Most Sundays are Holy Communion (Eucharist/Mass). All who are Baptized in any Christian denomination are welcome to receive both the bread and the wine. (We also are prepared for gluten sensitivities.) Communion is served at the front of the church. A sides-person helps let people know when it is time to make their way up to the front.
A hymn is sung and the choir will recess down the main aisle. After the service there is a bit of a line up to greet the clergy on the way out. The Rector may have already introduced himselff when you came in, if not please do introduce yourself. Many people will likely talk to you, it’s just like that here.
There is a Grace Cafe after the 10:30 service where folks can grab a coffee and get caught up on the events of their lives. Please join us.
So, now that you know a bit about us please come and find other seekers and explore if this could become a home away from home perhaps meeting your spiritual needs or come just for a visit, we are always pleased to meet you!
May God Bless you in your quest!