Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Is Coffee Really The Third Sacrament?
Is Coffee Really The Third Sacrament?
If we had one, this would certainly be in the running.
Following the main Sunday services at most Episcopal churches is a peculiar and rather friendly
gathering with a highly creative name: Coffee Hour. As if the title doesn’t give it away, this is an
informal get‐together of parish friends and family to catch up over a cup of coffee and warm
conversations.
The importance of these gatherings cannot be under‐estimated. Most Episcopal parishes are small
(average attendance is 129 people on Sunday morning) and include generations of extended families.
These people are godparents to each other’s children, sponsors for confirmation, leaders on youth
outings, etc. Given the depth of relationship, it is easy to understand why Coffee Hour is so important.
Of course this can make it difficult for a visitor to break in, and the best advice is patience. Or even
better yet: introduce yourself. Like family reunions, Coffee Hour can take on an aura of excitement over
familiar faces, and the newcomer can be unintentionally overlooked.
Coffee also plays an important part in the outreach of ministries of many parishes. A lot of Episcopal
churches host 12‐step recovery programs whose life‐blood tends to be coffee.
By the way, Episcopalians officially recognize only two sacraments. Baptism and Holy Communion, as
those handed down by Jesus. Five more are highly regarded, and some Episcopalians also recognize
them as sacraments: Confirmation, Marriage, Ordination, Confession (Reconciliation), and Holy Unction
(Last Rites). No word on when Coffee Hour might be added.
An excerpt from The Episcopal Handbook, Morehouse Publishing ©2008, p61