Location and Parking
We are located at 8410 Merin Road, Chapel Hill NC 27516.
After turning onto Merin Road, you will find parking in the lot immediately to your right. Parking is also available in the lot on the other side of the pond, beyond the Pee Wee Homes and community bread oven. A path next to the pond leads to the main buildings. An accessible ramp is available on the right side of the chapel.
Sunday Schedule
At 8:30 am, we have a traditional service using the Book of Common Prayer (masks required). 8:30 am service for the winter months will be inside the chapel. Masks are required inside the chapel for this service. During warmer weather, this service is outside by the pond and masks are optional.
From September to May, there is Adult and Children’s formation at 9:30. Adult education (with coffee) takes place in the front room of the Advocate House, next door to the chapel. Godly Play for our youngest Advocates, starting around age 3, will be held in the Advocate House (room is down the hallway and the last door on the left). Weaving God’s Promises (lessons based on lectionary texts) for tweens and teens will be held by the Wellhouse.
Our 10:30 hybrid service (masks optional) is a contemporary service using prayers from around the Anglican Communion. On entering the chapel, a greeter can assist you to fill out a name tag so that we may welcome you more fully. Service guides are available just inside the door, and our hymnals and song books are placed on chairs throughout the chapel.
Children in the Service
Children are welcome in church! There is a raised are at the rear of the chapel beneath what we call the Vision Window (where the altar would traditionally be placed) for children and their caregivers to play and move about. It is stocked with soft toys, books, crayons, and “Kids Bulletins” which feature simple games or exercises based on the readings of the day. During Communion, children of all ages are invited to come forward and sit in front of the altar.
Music
Our music comes from a variety of sources — the Episcopal Hymnal 1982; The Hymnal supplement: Wonder, Love and Praise; Lift Every Voice and Sing; the Community of Celebration; Taize; and St. Gregory’s Church in San Francisco.
It is traditional and modern, Southern Harmony, medieval, African American, Israeli and contemporary.
The Episcopal Church of the Advocate does not have a choir. All musical offering comes from the congregation as a whole. Those who especially enjoy singing, or who have a particular gift for music, are encouraged to practice the music ahead of time in order to help lead the congregation in singing.
Singing is a great way to pray!
Communion
It is the tradition at the Advocate to present our whole selves as an offering to God: Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of us all. We offer not only ourselves, but the gifts from our lives: bread and wine, funds, and other food that supports the Inter-Faith Council’s food bank. This presentation is in the form of a procession towards the altar, where you may offer your gifts to God. Appropriate gestures are
simple head nods, deep bows, or whatever movement feels appropriate.
At the Advocate all are welcome to receive communion. Those who do not wish to receive either bread or wine are invited to fold their arms and receive a blessing. Gluten-free bread is available for those who need it. Simply let us know as the host comes your way.
Sunday Fellowship
Central to our life together is the Sunday dinner fellowship. On most Sundays, following the 10:30 a.m. liturgy, we gather for conversation and a potluck lunch. An extension of the Eucharistic Feast, the lunch fellowship helps us to know more fully what is means to be a part of the Body of Christ, as we break bread together. A simple soup or salad is provided by volunteers each week, and members are encouraged to contribute a side or dessert. It’s a wonderful way to experience the church and for us all to get to know one another better.
On the festivals and holy days, we don’t just have “potlucks”, we have Advocate Feasts! On these occasions, folks are encouraged to share their favorite foods — simple or complex. And all are fed in body and in spirit.