WHO ARE EPISCOPALIANS?

We are people joined together by a common worship.  That worship is described in our Book of Common Prayer, a book that is rooted in the centuries-old practices of Christians coming together in faith.  The words of our book may adapt to changes in language and culture, but the form is still based on the ancient traditions.  Our membership comes from sharing in this worship.

Some things about what we do are central.  For example the words and meaning of the Eucharist (the Lord’s Supper, our common meal) are important.  Whether we sit, stand or kneel, what garments are worn by the clergy, whether or not we make the sign of the cross – none of these are critical for our worship.  They may be important to an individual worshipper, but we do not all express ourselves in the same way.

The Book of Common Prayer contains the various church services.  The service most commonly used is that for Holy Communion.   You may see I and II used to label the services.  I means that older, traditional language will be used.  II means that the language will be contemporary.

The Hymnal is also used.  The music at the beginning of the hymnal is labeled S followed by a number.  The “S” stands for “Service Music,” not “Secret.” The service music consists of responses sung by the congregation as part of the worship.  The regular hymns just go by a number.  Often other songbooks may be used. 

There will usually be a program that tells you what service is being used and the pages or numbers to find so that you can take part.  Episcopal worship involves everyone.  We are participants, not just an audience. 

Baptism is also central to our life together.  The agreement we make when we are baptized, or when we reaffirm our baptism, is a guide to how we live our lives as Christians.  This agreement begins with the ancient statement of faith in God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  It continues with promises to:

·        Continue in worship

·        Resist and repent of evil

·        Tell others about God’s love

·        Serve and love our neighbors as ourselves

·        Respect the dignity of every human being.

The Bible is central to our worship.  Each time we come together we hear readings from the Old and New Testaments, and Bible study is encouraged.  We see the Scriptures as a history of how God walks with God’s people, written over many centuries by different people for different audiences.  For this reason we believe that we need to understand these words by using reason, tradition and experience to help us.

The Episcopal Church has a democratic form of government.  Delegates are elected by local congregations to do everything from choosing a bishop, or making the rules by which we live together, to voting on issues important to the Christian life.  Not all Episcopalians agree about these issues, but we have agreed to live together as a community in which people are called to love and respect one another.

Issues that are important to people of one generation are often not as important to those who come after them.  A good example of this change is the way in which the Episcopal Church in the United States now ordains women to be deacons, priests and bishops. 

SOME QUESTIONS PEOPLE HAVE ASKED.

Do I have to have a conversion experience, or be “born again” in order to be an Episcopalian or a Christian?  No. Some people have an overwhelming experience of God’s presence that changes their lives.  Others grow into a relationship with God in different ways, often more slowly over time.  We are all different, and we all experience God in our own way.

What about people who are not Christians?  Are they outside God’s grace?  We believe that God is infinitely larger than we can understand, and human attempts to put limits on God are useless.  Christianity is the way we have come to understand our relationship with God.  Others may approach God by different roads.  The goal is the same. 

Why do we talk about God as “Father?”  We know that God does not have gender.  God is neither male nor female.  The writers and translators of the scriptures were accustomed to referring to God in male terms because they lived in that kind of culture, and because our language has traditionally been used in that way.    Yet there are many other ways to refer to God, and to people, that do not always use “Father” or “men” when we mean “God” or “human beings,” and we often use these in our prayers and hymns. 

Why does the Episcopal Church have special days to remember Saints?   Every generation has had people who lived lives that were examples of Christian living for their time and for ours.   We tell stories of people who were early Christians facing persecution or death, and of others down through the ages to the present day. There is a wonderful variety of men and women in these stories, and all of us can find some of them that inspire us. They also remind us that we are part of an ages-long procession of faithful people.