The Church comes to Carolina Meadows, and its presence there once a month is very significant.

“It means a great deal to have the Church come to us, especially those who cannot get to the regular church,” explains Chapel of the Cross parishioner Mariechen Smith, one of the founders of the service. “It has become a very important part of the fabric of their worship.”

Forty-two residents marked a significant milestone on October 6, 2002 – the fifth anniversary of the monthly Eucharist.

The idea for the service, sponsored by Chapel of the Cross, came from four residents, including Mariechen and parishioner Patty Hairston. The Rev. Grayson Clary, Priest Associate at the Chapel of the Cross, has been the celebrant from the start. “Grayson has helped immeasurably by his leadership and love,” Mariechen says.

It all began in October 1997 when 18 people gathered in the Fairways Library. That room was too small, however, and subsequent services have been held in a larger room.

The service, which alternates between Rites I and II, differs from the Sunday morning services at Chapel of the Cross:

* It is more informal.

* To accommodate worshipers using wheelchairs or walkers, there is no standing or kneeling. The celebrant and lay eucharistic minister serve the bread and wine to worshipers in their seats.

* Only a few feet separate the altar and the congregation, creating, in Grayson’s words, “a real closeness, an easy give-and-take, a feeling of togetherness.”

* It is “very ecumenical,” Grayson says. “We have quite a mixture of people, including Episcopalians, Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Roman Catholics.”

A lay eucharistic minister – usually Mariechen and occasionally myself – assists in the service and takes Communion to parishioners in the Health Center.