A People Born of Longing
We are a people on the road, bound
for a new home. Set free from nature’s instinctual constraints and experiencing
the divisions wrought by our own destructive potential, we long to be healed
and brought together into a new unity. Caught between earth and heaven, beast
and angel, we struggle to give birth to a new humanity from the dust of old. We
long for community.
Springing from the heart of God,
born of Christ’s voluntary self-giving, that longed-for community grows. It
includes ever-widening circles of diverse people. The church, empowered by the
Holy Spirit, seeks to be loving community for the sake of the reunion of all
people, the transformation of humanity and the healing of creation.
Finding A Middle Way
People often describe the Episcopal
Church as “The Middle Way” — bearing characteristics of both Protestant and
Roman Catholic churches. We still consider ourselves catholic because our faith
embraces all Christians and is not closed to the work of God among those who do
not believe as we do. We are protestants in our belief that no doctrine or
practice, no one person or institution, should claim precedence over our
allegiance to the Lord alone.
Praying Shapes Believing
The Book of Common Prayer is our
guide to rites and worship forms for individual and communal use. Common
practice shapes our faith. The intent of the Book is to provide a spiritual
pattern for our lives. Many wonderful prayers for personal devotion and corporate
worship are included. You'll find prayers for a variety of occasions
beginning on page 814. There are also rites for Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer
and other forms; simple daily devotions begin on page 136.
Informed by Scripture, Tradition
and Reasoning
The story of God’s relationship
with his people is found in the Holy Bible. Because it is a human story of
God’s revelation, we use the Bible with reverence and care, bringing to our
study of the scriptures our experience, the living history of the Church and
our intellect. We trust that in our study the Holy Spirit will bring us to
greater understanding.
Seeking God In Our Neighbor and
Creation
The context of our relationship to
God is our life in community. We enter Christian community through baptism, a
rebirth of the spirit and a reorientation of our purpose and life mission. In
baptism, we vow to put our whole trust in Christ’s grace and love. Our faith,
therefore, rests not in creeds or commonly held opinions, but in our trust in
the transforming power of Christ who makes all things new ... And who lives
among us in community.