What to expect on a Sunday morning
Welcome!
As our guest, we hope you feel the warm and welcome hospitality of Good Samaritan as soon as you arrive. You’ll likely meet our priest and member of the congregation at the front door, who will greet you with a friendly hello and guide you to our worship space. As you enter, a greeter will invite you to join with the rest of our congregation in making a nametag (totally optional), and if you’d like, they will help you find a seat. There’s usually a pot of coffee on brew…help yourself to a cup and enjoy our free snacks (aka breakfast for late risers). We never single out newcomers or ask you to introduce yourself to the group.
About our Service
Our worship is liturgical, meaning our service is planned out in advance and offers intentional rhythms of prayer, song, silence, and spoken words shared between the priest and the people, all as an offering to God. A simple worship bulletin will guide you through the service, even if you’ve never been to a church like Good Samaritan. We share in Holy Communion every week. All are warmly welcome to come to God’s table to share in the gifts of bread and wine, regardless of your religious background. (Kids have a vital role to play in our worship. Take a look at Good Samaritan Kids to see how they participate, too!)
Serving Others
Good Samaritan engages weekly in hands-on service to the community or in reflection on service to others as an integral part of our Sunday experience. After worship, we pause for some refreshments and then move either into a service project for our community (first and third Sundays) or into time for reflection and discussion to grow as followers of Jesus who love, serve, and include others (second and fourth Sundays). We also enjoy time for fellowship and conversation over refreshments (usually, fifth Sundays). We warmly invite you to stay and participate. We always start at 10 a.m. and are finished no later than noon. (Learn more about activities for Good Sam’s Kids and Youth, which also take place from 11 a.m. to noon.)
On Sunday mornings,
where do I go? Where do I park?
We meet on Sundays at Harris Academy (725 S. Green Street) in Brownsburg. Enter through Door #1. You can park in front of the building, or overflow parking is available behind the school, near Door #5. At other times during the week, we meet elsewhere. Stay tuned to our website for regular updates on our gatherings and their locations.
What do I wear?
We are a pretty relaxed community — there’s no need for a suit or tie or a dress (unless you want to!). You’ll see jeans, shorts, khakis, button downs, polo shirts, and t-shirts. If you’ve got clothes on, we’re good.
What about the kids?
Good Samaritan appreciates and welcomes children of all ages. Good Samaritan’s nursery is staffed by loving and certified caregivers who have been trained in Safeguarding God’s Children (a special program in the Episcopal Church designed to protect children and their families) and have completed background checks. When you enter Harris Academy, one of our greeters will direct you to the nursery. Our nursery is staffed for children under four. As a security precaution, the same person who signs in a child must be the one who signs them out.
Children over four are welcome to check out Good Samaritan Kids. Good Sam’s kids over age four join their families for worship during communion.
Will there be someone like me at Good Sam’s?
Good Samaritan seeks to be a mirror that reflects the beautiful diversity of God’s sacred tapestry. We have folks from many different walks of life. Some of our diversity includes, but isn’t limited to: rich folks; poor folks; gay, straight, bisexual, asexual, transgender, and trans* folks; Republicans; Democrats; Independents; left-handers; right-handers; the ambidextrous; the hearing-impaired who use American Sign Language; the hearing-impaired who don’t use American Sign Language; old; young; pet lovers; pet averse people; empty nesters; parents with kids; single moms; single dads; adoptive parents; those who are recently divorced; people with spouses who profess another religion; people with spouses who aren’t religious… and our list keeps growing. We hope you’ll bring your gifts and add to our quirky, fun, diverse mix of people!