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Browsing all articles in Your Altar Guild

have been in every Episcopal sacristy in the state…What’s most striking to me is the variety of spaces that are an integral part of that ministry […]

I come from a long line of pastors, mostly Presbyterian with an occasional Episcopalian to leaven the loaf. My maternal grandmother was given a recipe for communion bread […]

“People go to church to refocus. Focus on God. What you do for God matters. The altar guild helps us to refocus […]

“For it is better to suffer for doing good if suffering should be God’s will than to suffer for doing evil.” Could suffering ever be God’s will? […]

In the new normal, healthcare facilities are making informed decisions to retain some of the visitor restrictions for their patients and our fragile parishioners continue to have limited access to Eucharist […]

In the Episcopal Church, aesthetics matter. The surroundings in which worship takes place have their own meaning. In fact, we believe God intends these elements as what I often call “a visible sermon” […]

As a “Free Range Priest,” offering supply coverage primarily for Sunday services only in parishes in two adjacent dioceses, I have a deep appreciation for the ministry of the altar guild in churches I visit […]

On December 10, 2021, I received several emails from my NAGA board colleagues inquiring about my safety. Within a few minutes I remembered my Sacristy Shop hat and our Emergency Communion Kits […]

Having grown up in the Episcopal Church, I have a very early awareness of the significant role altar guilds have in the life of many congregations […]

It is very clear that the realities of the COVID pandemic have radically upset the regular patterns of life in the church as we have known them. While we are no way near the end of the pandemic, it is good to ponder what the Body of Christ might look like in the “new missional age” post pandemic […]

This story begins with gratitude. St. Mary of the Angels was blessed with a vibrant and dedicated altar guild for many decades. The last five years we gradually experienced a loss of membership […]

If there’s one thing that 2020 and 2021 have taught us, it is that we are not doing things “as usual.” From Zoom meetings and YouTube services to serving the Eucharist in a safe and secure manner, from practicing social distancing to wearing gloves and masks[…]

It has been such a pleasure to represent you and our legacy of the National Altar Guild Association these last three years […]

We have compiled a selection of articles and resources about worship and communion during this difficult time […]

During the anxious moments that have made up the last few months, I have looked to my dogs for spiritual guidance. They are calm, centered, consistent, and joyful […]

A hush in every sacristy, just before we leave it to begin the service. The verger runs through how we will proceed, who will administer bread and where, who will administer wine. Then all stand at attention. It is time to begin […]

The Central Florida DAG has been preparing the wafers for distribution at the Drive-Thru each week — directions included […]

You don’t expect it to happen at “Gentle Yoga,” of all places. But the other day, as I was standing in line at the YMCA waiting for another class to end […]

I once overheard an altar guild training. The leader was reminding our new members that the same care must be taken with the linens used for the home communion taken to sick and shut-in members of the parish […]

When a disaster rolls in, make sure your altar guild is ready! No matter what kind of disaster looms, when it strikes, not only do you lose your personal things, so too does your parish […]

Dolores Miller, March 19, 1932 – January 28, 2019
We pay tribute to a dedicated member of NAGA in an article by Peggy Curlin and Homily by The Rev. Philip G. Emanuel […]

It helps to know who you’re looking for, if you want to find them. I believe the same is true in our spiritual journeys as well. We need to know that we are seeking Jesus. Without that, we probably will not find Him […]

I remember being about nine or ten before I could go with my mother to help with her altar guild duties at Christ the King Episcopal Church in Orlando, FL. I had asked, or rather begged, so many times, always receiving the same answer: “When you are older” […]

The altar guild is a behind-the-scenes ministry, and that can make it an unappreciated ministry. My thanks to Jane Mercer who invited me to share excerpts from my book, Celebrating the Eucharist, to highlight the importance of every altar guild’s ministry […]

The National Association of Diocesan Altar Guilds had its beginnings over 50 years ago, when, at the 1919 Convention held in Detroit, the National Council of the Episcopal Church was formed […]

From The National Altar Guild of the Episcopal Church, U.S.A. Its First Seventy-Three Years 1927-2000 […]

My first awareness of the ministry of the altar guild comes from my childhood. I remember my mother regularly excusing herself from life at home to work with other altar guild members[…]

We are commanded to walk in love. If you had attended the Diocese of Virginia Altar Guild Swap Meet, you would have seen love in action […]

Just as spring arrived in Alabama, the NAGA board convened at Camp McDowell for its annual board meeting on March 17-19. Committee and Provincial reports focused on the health of the organization[…]

Since 1995, Ron DelBene, a priest in the Diocese of Alabama, has served as interim rector in small, medium and large congregations for periods of six months to three years […]

Recently I was asked “Do you still do needlepoint?” The next question was “Why?” This started me thinking — why, indeed, do I still do canvaswork when I now am a senior citizen with the usual arthritic aches and pains, especially in my hands […]

The first half of the liturgical year is a mad dash — and nobody knows this more than the altar guild. But once the summer schedule is done and you’ve put up the green frontal, you can pour yourself a glass of wine […]

One of the happiest of ministries is that of wedding guild, but our work would not be possible without the assistance and cooperation of the altar guild […]

While each diocese will have its own particular ideas and needs, our guidelines offer a place to begin. Embrace your DAG with enthusiasm knowing that the Lord himself will guide you along the way […]

Questions are often asked regarding the need for or purpose of a diocesan altar guild. You will be surprised how many resources you can provide […]

Our little parish in Texas was able to foster an interest and gain new team members by inviting the children to help us. Later, several asked me “What exactly did you do?” […]

The spirit in which your altar guild lives ripples out to affect the feel of the whole congregation […]

You are the preparers and keepers and transmitters of some of the coolest stuff we have in The Episcopal Church […]

My greatest joy serving in the office and role of bishop is to bring children deeper into our worship. What I find, more often than not, is they will teach me, long before I can teach them […]

Most altar guilds share the problems of recruiting, training and retaining members and are increasingly venturing beyond their sacristies to bring the altar guild ministry into the congregation […]

What is the protocol for using colored embroidery on linens? Where should the inscription go on vessels or paraments? Send us your questions and we’ll find the answers […]

We talk about natural disasters and the damages they cause to churches and their sacristies. But what if the disaster is man made? No piles of storm-tossed linens, no dented or missing silver vessels, just nothing… nothing at all with which to prepare a liturgical church altar for a communion service […]

It was a privilege, and a pleasure, to speak with members of the National Altar Guild during General Convention and to share a few things about my favorite, and possibly the most under-rated, character in the New Testament […]

“The beauty of holiness” is a familiar phrase to most Episcopalians. Keynote speaker, Sr. Suzanne Elizabeth from the Community of St. John Baptist explores the meaning of these words and how they shape our lives […]

The Mission Supply Ministry assists parishes in financial need to make linens at low cost, or to guide you in making or repairing other vestments and paraments […]

Wedding flowers at the altar or chapel are an important statement for wedding ceremonies. When you first meet with the bride and groom or partners to discuss the church flowers for their wedding, be sure to ask three important questions […]

The recruitment and retention of new altar guild members is always a challenge. We are pleased to offer some suggestions, thanks to Province VII, that may prove helpful […]

As I have made my way around small sacristies over the past ten years, they have come to symbolize the importance of respecting one another and our differences by graciously making space for one another […]

When we offer ourselves to serve at the altar, we are offering ourselves to God as a living prayer. The sun is up by the time I begin the Great Thanksgiving, but my prayer does not end with the Amen; it continues with the awareness of God’s love and offering myself through the day […]

Years ago I was challenged by members of the congregation over an issue I call “Holy Waste.” As things like this often happen in congregations, it all started innocently enough […]