What We Believe
The cross is at the center of our faith.
St. Paul wrote centuries ago, “We preach Christ and him crucified.” The image of the cross rises over the altar to remind us of God’s amazing grace. Many of us make the sign of the cross on our forehead or across our chest to remember our baptism. It joyously leads us in procession to a time of worship and in thanksgiving guides us as we go out into the world. The cross resides on the top of our steeple to declare to all the mighty acts of our loving God.
We are disciples who strive to be like and live like Jesus.
Each of us is called by God to live and serve in our world so that justice, peace and love may be a present reality where we are. Our purpose is to grow as disciples and share Jesus and his message with others.
We tend to ask the question, “Where is God in this?”.
We believe God is always present with us in the celebrations of our lives and suffers with us when we walk through our journeys of despair. We know that God does not cause sickness, death, turmoil or suffering, but works actively to create peace, wholeness, forgiveness and new life.
We believe the Episcopal way is not the only way for a Christian.
All denominations and traditions have much to offer the Church, our world and us. Working together with all Christians is our constant goal.
“I am the way, the truth and the life”...
When Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life,” we leave that up to Jesus as he comes to all people in ways he knows to be most beneficial to them. We respect all religions and those who choose not to be religious, and we strive through dialogue and co-operative action to make this a better, more unified world.
We take the Bible seriously.
We understand that much of the Bible is rooted in a context unlike our own time and can even hold meaning that is contrary to the teachings of Jesus. We call the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and the New Testament the Word of God. God inspired the writers and speaks to us through them. The Bible reveals Jesus as Messiah and Savior of the world. Each of us has the opportunity to understand and interpret the words and the stories as the Holy Spirit guides us. We strive to make the Bible a personal daily companion and a thoughtful conversation partner as we study together.
For more information about The Episcopal Church, please visit our global website here.