Welcome > FAQs
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
All four gospels tell the story of Jesus hiking up a mountain with a few of his disciples, and appearing to them in the full glory of his divine nature. Dallas being Dallas, we aren’t located on a mountaintop, but we embrace this vision of Jesus’ radiant glory and experience in it the possibility of God transfiguring our lives into greater holiness, too.
We embrace the beauty and poetry of The Book of Common Prayer in our worship. We look to this rich collection of prayers and liturgies not because we don’t have anything new to say, or are simply going through the motions, but because we believe that the faith and wisdom of past generations is wonderful inspiration for us today. Our services tend toward reverent formality, because we believe that worship is first and foremost for God, not us, and all of our movements and actions and words should point us toward the Lord. And our services are multi-sensory and participatory, so in addition to glorious music and compelling preaching there are bells and smells, kneeling and standing, and most importantly, the sharing of Eucharist (Mass, Lord’s Supper, Communion).
Forming the faith of children is among our highest priorities. There are a dozen different, age-appropriate classes for children and youth on Sunday mornings, programs during special times of the year, liturgies for kids on major holy days, and a chapel service just for younger children during our two main Sunday services. Additionally, we operate a professionally-staffed nursery for infants and toddlers on Sunday morning and on other days/nights when the church is gathered. We believe kids are not merely our future, they are central to our present.
Jesus consistently demonstrated love for people who were overlooked, neglected, or disregarded by his society, and as his followers, we believe we are called to do the same. For us, this means we have many LGBTQ+ members, who participate openly and fully in our life. We have members with various disabilities, members from a wide-range of countries and races, members who are lifelong Christians and members who are exploring the faith afresh. We are always striving to make our “all” as wide and big as Jesus’.
We are known for our reverent, traditional (“high-church”) worship style, our world-class music program, our inclusivity of LGBTQ+ members, and our longstanding partnerships with agencies of compassion around Dallas (Austin Street Center, Genesis Women’s Shelter, North Dallas Shared Ministries, Habitat for Humanity). We are also known for the stunningly beautiful altar and triptych in our church, depicting the Transfigured Christ.
Transfiguration founded Parish Episcopal School (then Parish Day School) in 1971, and nurtured the growth of the school throughout its first several decades. Eventually, Parish no longer needed the church’s protection and oversight, and became an independent Episcopal school. Today it is a thriving institution of more than 1,100 students on two campuses, but we remain deeply and proudly connected, and the Lower School (Pre-K through grade 2) continues to reside on the Hillcrest campus adjacent to the church.
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