Beliefs & Practices
Love God. Love others. The rest is just details.
Anglicanism stands squarely in the Reformed tradition, yet considers itself just as directly descended from the Early Church as the Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox churches. Episcopalians celebrate the Holy Communion or the Eucharist similarly to the Roman Catholic tradition. Yet, they do not recognize a single authority, such as the Pope of Rome.
Episcopalians believe Christians should be able to worship God and read the Bible in their first language, which for most Episcopalians, is English, rather than Latin or Greek, the two earlier, “official” languages of Christianity. The Book of Common Prayer has been translated into many languages, so those Episcopalians who do not speak English can still worship God in their native tongue.
Unique to Anglicanism is The Book of Common Prayer, a collection of services used for daily and weekly worship. Also included in the prayer book are baptisms, marriages, ordinations, and burials. It is called “common prayer” because millions of worshippers pray it together, around the world. The first Book of Common Prayer was written in English by Thomas Cranmer in the 16th century, and since then has undergone many revisions. However, its original purpose has remained the same: to provide a book that has the instructions and rites for Anglican Christians to worship together.
The current prayer book used in the Episcopal Church was published in 1979. While there are other worship resources and prayers to enrich our worship, The Book of Common Prayer is the authority that governs our worship. The prayer book describes the main beliefs of the church, outlines the requirements for the sacraments, and, in general, serves as the main guideline for our faith.
As a worshiping body of faithful people, the church has for two thousand years proclaimed the Good News that God is Love and came to earth in the person of Jesus to show us how to love one another as we are loved. As one theologian said, “Love God. Love others. The rest is just details.”
When you visit our church and join us in worship, we hope you will encounter the Lord in our midst, and leave renewed, knowing you are a beloved child of God.