to the earth in glory (Jn 1:1-14; Mt 1:18-25; around the globe are coordinated through the Heb 4:14-16; 1 Cor 15:3-4; Jn 14:1-4). Anglican Consultative Council and the Global Salvation is a free gift, merited by Christ, Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON). A newcomer’s guide to . bestowed by God’s grace in the sacrament of holy Baptism, and received by faith animated What can I expect? with love (Eph 2:4-10; Titus 3:4-8; Jas 2:14-26). If you have ever worshiped in a Lutheran Holy Baptism gives us a share in the death, or a Roman Catholic parish, a Sunday burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ by morning in an Anglican church will look very incorporating us into his mystical Body (Rom familiar. Our main service of worship on 6:1-4). Sundays is the Holy Eucharist, also called the The Anglican The Catholic Church is the bride of Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper, the Christ (Eph 5:25-33) and the mystical Body of Liturgy, or the Mass. Christ (1 Cor 12:12-31). The local Church, in a The words in our worship services are Church territory called a “diocese,” is governed by written in the Book of Common Prayer. It is our godly men called bishops, assisted by the guide for liturgical worship. Liturgy comes priests and deacons (Titus 1:5ff). from a Greek word meaning “a work for the In her sacramental worship, the Church people,” so you can expect to be involved in offers herself in union with the perfect the worship service. offering of Christ through the holy Sacrifice of When you visit our parish you will be the Altar, and in the Eucharist, receives divine respected as our guest. As you enter the life in the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ church, you will notice an atmosphere of under the forms of bread and wine (Rom 12:1; quite and reverence. Many people kneel for a 1 Cor 11:26-29; Jn 6:51-58). few moments of silent prayer to prepare their The purpose of the Church on earth is to hearts for worship. glorify God by our worship, by our service, Generally, we stand to sing, sit to listen, by loving our neighbors, and by fulfilling the and kneel to pray. Many people make the last command of Jesus to make disciples (Mt sign of the cross during the liturgy. Do not 28:18-20) until he returns to earth in glory. feel pressured to do anything you are not comfortable with. The first part of the What binds Anglicans together? service is centered around reading and By Fr. Timothy Matkin, SSC With the spread of the British colonies, preaching the Word of God. The second part Anglicanism evolved into a world-wide is centered around the Altar. communion of churches. We are joined by a Visitors who are baptized Christians, who common heritage and a faith in the Lord repent of their sins and have faith in the Real Jesus Christ. In addition, the Book of Common Presence of Christ in the Sacrament and who “We profess the holy Catholic and Prayer in its various editions is used for receive it in their own church may receive Apostolic Faith professed by the whole worship. Holy Communion with us. Anyone is Church before the disunion of East and Among other “instruments of unity” are welcome to come forward to receive a West; more particularly, as professed by the Archbishop of Canterbury (the spiritual blessing (you may cross your arms over your the Church of England . .” —Thomas Ken, head of the college of bishops) and his chest to indicate a blessing). Bishop of Bath and Wells, England (d. 1711) We hope you are blessed by worshiping Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops every ten years. The primates of the with us. For more information about communion (chief provincial bishops) meet Anglicanism or to join, we invite you to speak on a more frequent basis. And ministries to our priest. What is Anglicanism? point and would continue to follow its own on salvation by God’s grace, and the Anglicans are Christians who belong to laws and customs thereafter. discipline of a married clergy. the Church of England or its daughter The Anglican church in the American Some of the things we retained from our churches throughout the world that maintain colonies became a separate ecclesial body Catholic heritage are: apostolic orders of a fellowship in what is called the Anglican along with the birth of the United States. ministry (bishops, priests, and deacons), the Communion. Christianity came to Britain in Anglicans used the name “Episcopalian” monastic life (monks and nuns), ancient the first or second century, probably brought almost exclusively after the Revolutionary War. liturgical forms in our worship, the seven there by merchants. Legend says that the However, they noted that this new Episcopal biblical sacraments of the Church, and a gospel was brought there by St. Joseph of Church “is far from intending to depart from reverence for sacred Tradition and the early Arimathea. When Pope St. Gregory the the Church of England in any essential point Church Fathers. Great sent a monk named Augustine to of doctrine, discipline, or worship; or further England in 597 to establish a Roman mission than local circumstances allow” (The Book of What do Anglicans believe? Common Prayer, p. 11) . at Canterbury, he found there was already a As disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, The word “episcopal” comes from the British church with its own bishops and Anglicans share with other Christians the Greek word episcope (“overseer”) that the New customs. historic biblical faith of the undivided Church Testament uses for the office of a bishop who The two church traditions existed side- of the first millennium. We believe the oversees a local church. The word “church” by-side until the Synod of Whitby, presided doctrines taught in the Bible. You will also comes from the Greek word ekklesia over by the abbess Hilda in 663. For the sake find our statements of belief in the Creeds, (“assembly”) that the New Testament uses of Christian unity, it was decided that Roman the writings of the early Church Fathers, the for God’s people gathered into an assembled customs would be followed in England and Ecumenical Councils of the Church, the congregation. So the term “episcopal that the realm would come under the Catechism of the Book of Common Prayer, the church” means a church overseen by bishops, jurisdiction of the pope. That relationship Thirty-Nine Articles, and in the language of according to the New Testament model. continued in England through most of our prayers. “Episcopal” was first used to distinguish Anglican church history. In short, we believe in one true God, Anglicans in Scotland from those in the As church structure was increasingly eternally existing in a Trinity of Persons: the established (Presbyterian) Church of centralized in Rome around the turn of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Is 44:6; Scotland—governed by presbyters (“elders”). first millennium, some argued that the pope Jn 1:1,14; 15:26). As members of the There are seven provinces of the Anglican had no formal authority in England. In 1208, Universal (or “catholic”) Church established by Communion in which Anglicans are a confrontation arose between King John and our Lord Jesus Christ, Anglicans accept the commonly referred to as “Episcopalians.” Pope Innocent III over rights in the church apostolic Tradition (both oral and written in which led to England being placed under holy Scripture) to be authoritative in disclosing interdict and King John being Are you Catholic or Protestant? the fullness of God’s revelation in Jesus Christ excommunicated for five years. One of the blessings we have through (2 Thes 2:15; 2 Tim 3:16-17) which is expressed Good relations were interrupted again in historical accident is the way our church in the Creeds. the 1530s, when King Henry VIII, desiring to has embraced the best features of both Since the disobedience of our first obtain an annulment of his marriage, Catholicism and Protestantism. The goal of parents, human beings have been sinners renounced the jurisdiction of the pope or any the Church of England was to maintain from birth (Ps 51:5; Rom 5:12; Eph 2:1-3). other foreign bishop in the English realm. continuity with its past, but also to be a truly This wounding of humanity is what we call Communion was restored briefly in 1553. reformed Catholic Church. original sin. Jesus Christ is the only Son of Unfortunately, relations were severed again in Some of the things we gained from our God—fully human and fully divine—who 1570 with the excommunication of Queen Reformation heritage are: common worship was born of a pure and holy Virgin, died on Elizabeth I by Pope Pius V. The Church of in the vernacular (the language of the people), the cross for the sins of mankind, rose from England became an independent body at that the primacy of Scripture, an emphasis on the dead on the third day, and will return personal Bible study and evangelism, a stress .