What we believe

Scripture is the word of God contained in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. The 39 books of the Old Testament contain the story of God's love from the time of Creation to the birth of his son, Jesus Christ. The books contain God's laws as He gave them to the Hebrew people.

The New Testament contains Christ's teachings, the accounts of his life as told by his followers and the beginning of his Church. It is written in 27 books. Within an Episcopal worship service, Scripture is read in the lessons, the Gospel (the teachings of Jesus), the Psalms (poems from the Old Testament) and other prayers. Additionally, two-thirds of our guide to worship, The Book of Common Prayer, comes from the Old and New Testaments.

We are not Christians in isolation but are part of a living faith that spans 2000 years. Tradition is the embodiment of our experience as Christens throughout the centuries. The heart of our tradition is express the Bible, the Creeds, (statements of faith, written in the first centuries of the Church’s existence), the Sacraments of the church (Baptism, Holy Communion, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, and Holy Orders).

Our tradition is expressed with many voices, among which are a variety of worship styles, languages, cultures, architecture, and music. Our tradition encourages this diversity.

Each one of us, with God's help, makes a decision about how we integrate tradition and Scripture into our lives. A personal relationship with God allows us to realize and celebrate our lives to the fullest. Surrounded by God's grace and informed by Scripture, our intellect connects our body and soul to exercise our call to love God, love our neighbor and love ourselves.

In the Episcopal Church, we use both the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed in our worship. Both are statements that contain the summary of our beliefs, and because we are a community of faith, we openly declare these beliefs to unite ourselves to the Christians in the past, present and future. The word "creed" comes from the Latin word credo, which means “I believe."

The Nicene Creed

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Apostles' Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

A sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible grace. In the Episcopal Church, we take part in certain sacrament acts of worship that our reenactments of Jesus' ministries here on earth. The two primary sacraments are Baptism and Holy Communion.

We believe that God is actively present in the world and in us. In the sacraments, we realize his presence and his favor towards us. Though the sacraments, which are freely given to us by God, our sins are forgiven, our minds are enlightened, our hearts are stirred and our will strengthened.

These sacraments are contained in the worship services of The Book of Common Prayer. A complete outline of the Episcopal faith can be found on pages 845-862 of The Book of Common Prayer.​

The Book of Common Prayer is a collection of ancient and modern prayers and worship services for occasions when the community gathers. It is also intended for individual use as well.

"Common" does not mean "ordinary." It refers to the idea that our worship is communal, said or sung together in a community of believers. The Book of Common Prayer contains all the services for Morning and Evening Prayer, Holy Week, Baptism, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Marriage, Funerals, and ordinations. It also contains a summary of the historical documents of the church, the church calendar, the Psalter (The Book of Psalms) as well as prayers for public or private worship.