About St. Thomas' Episcopal Church
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St. Thomas Episcopal is the only Episcopal church in Falls City, but it is by no means new. Located at 16th and Harlan,across from the post office, St Thomas has been in essentially the same location since 1868. See the History Link at the top of the page for more details. With such a long tenure, it is not surprising that our services have so much tradition in them. Our outlook to the future is modern in concept but traditional in execution.
The parishes of the Episcopal Church are regulated by a Pastor (Rector) and Vestry system. The Vestry is elected by the congregation, and they in turn locate and hire a rector. The Vestry is made up of a Senior Warden, A Junior Warden, and a number of Vestry members. How many members depends on the size of the congregation.
High Church Episcopal services resemble Roman Catholic in many ways. It would be difficult to tell the difference, especially early in the service. Episcopal churches embrace many different levels of formality however, the most formal and traditional being referred to as high churches, and the least formal being called low churches. Regardless of which type of Episcopal Church you visit, all baptized Christians are welcome to participate fully in our Holy Eucharist service. Except in unusual circumstances, we have the Eucharist every week. Episcopal Priests are not required to be celibate, and most are married and raising families.
St. Thomas participates in the Richardson County Ministerial Association, the food pantry, and other charitable organizations. We have an active outreach program that supports youth activities, libraries, charitable organizations, and occasionally individual people in need. We believe in the power of prayer, and have a prayer service for anyone that needs it. See the Prayer Line link at the top of the page.
St. Thomas is traditional in appearance as you can see from the photograph at the left. Our exposed beam and stucco sanctuary are right out of old England.
