Matins and Evensong

Matins: a service of morning prayer in various churches, especially the Anglican Church.

I'm going to do a few blog posts on different aspects of the program, so that I can begin to make some sense of it to those I haven't explained much to. TFA itself is not Anglican, though we do practice matins every morning. This means that at 8a, Monday through Friday, we are expected to meet in the chapel for a time of prayer, song worship, and liturgical reading from the Common Book of Prayer. 

I have absolutely no experience with liturgy or the Common Book of Prayer. So picture me frantically flipping pages trying to mouth words and figure out what a "canon" and "suffrage" are, and what page they are on. Thankfully, I'm getting better and listening to the prayers means almost as much as saying them myself. A big positive of worship this way is that we are praying through the Psalms, and so by the end of the year will have read through most of the Psalms together as a group. Another big positive is that it is our first group activity of the day, so it sets a great tone for the purpose of the day ahead. 

Evensong happens Sunday through Thursday at 6:15p, and is slightly shorter than matins but follows a similar routine. It is a time to "close out" the day in a way, to end a work day with worship. Both take place in a little chapel about 50 feet from our house, so it's an easy distance, but still significantly separate from where we live. The photo on the left is the inside of the chapel, and the photo on the right is the entrance. It's very small, maybe only 15ft by 40ft. 

It's a cute little spot, and ideal for quiet.