New to Incarnation?
We welcome you to any and all services at The Church of the Incarnation. All who seek God in Christ are welcome to receive communion at God’s Table.
Use our website to learn more about our parish including:
Why is EfM important to our church?
Since the fall of 2006, a group of ten people began meeting on Monday evenings in order to “educate themselves for ministry.” By 2009 there were 27 people meeting each week with this common purpose. While EfM’s curriculum encompasses a detailed study of Scripture, a survey of church history, and a fairly thorough look at theological thought, its overriding goal is to equip each student with a deeper awareness of God’s presence in their lives, in their faith community, and in the world. Each member is urged to explore God’s call and to develop his or her own ministry.
This isn’t just a class to learn more facts about the Bible or to enrich one’s theological vocabulary; it’s a process by which each member learns to articulate his or her faith and to genuinely appreciate the faith of others in the group. EfMers learn to listen with their hearts, struggle deeply with difficult issues, and to emerge from four years of study with a clearer knowledge of how to serve God and the church. I have no doubt that graduates of this course of study will bring this profound experience back to the congregation and enrich the faith community to which they belong.
The Rev. Matthew Lawrence
Myths About Proper Behavior at the Eucharist
- If you drop the host, the devil gets inside it.
Truth: the devil wouldn’t survive a second inside a consecrated host.
- If you take communion more than once a day, that’s a problem.
Truth: Jesus never skimped on food.
- If you chew the wafer, you are hurting Jesus.
Truth: nobody can hurt Jesus anymore. Bread doesn’t have nerve endings anyway.
Parish History
Mr. J. P. Clark donated four building lots on Fourth Street and Washington Street for the building of a church. These were sold and lots on Mendocino Avenue were purchased as a better location. Construction began in the Spring of 1872, and building was completed in 1873. It is said that the church was constructed from the wood of two redwood trees. The Church was declared debt free in 1876 and consecrated in November, 1877.
Numina Center for Spirituality & the Arts
Numina Center for Spirituality and the Arts is dedicated to the celebration of the artistic expression of spirit. Numina offers quality theatre, musical and artistic performances, as well as experiences in the expressive arts and spiritual practice.
Numina was founded and is centered at the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation, Santa Rosa. The spirit of God may be found wherever the full dimensions of life are being explored. We are dedicated to that exploration through the arts. In keeping with the long tradition of church patronage of the arts we offer a downtown venue for music, theatre, and the arts.
Read More at NuminaCenter.org
What do Episcopalians believe?
As Episcopalians, we see with the eyes of faith, but we are not blind. By faith we find a reason to live beyond ourselves. We enjoy people who are different from us; we seek to serve the world’s poorest and most vulnerable citizens and to build a more just society. It breaks our heart when fellow Christians act as agents of oppression.
As an expression of our faith, my parish founded a day shelter for homeless and at-risk women and children called The Living Room. We devote enormous energy to ministries of compassion, fueled by an ancient Christian belief in a universe created and ordered by love. We believe that love and compassion draws us into the heart of the human-divine nexus. This is known as the way of the cross. For us it is the way of truth – but we tend to avoid telling others what their truth must be. This is known as respect, and is another reason why we don’t get much time on TV. We are boring in this way.
