Who are we as "Anglicans"?

The Anglican Way, Archbishop Geoffrey Fisher wrote, "has no peculiar thought, practice, creed or confession of its own. It has only the catholic Faith of the ancient catholic Church, as preserved in the catholic Creeds and maintained in the catholic and Apostolic constitution of Christ's Church from the beginning." It may licitly teach as necessary for salvation nothing but what is read in the Holy Scriptures as God's Word written or may be proved thereby. It therefore embraces and affirms such teachings of the ancient Fathers and Councils of the Church as are agreeable to the Scriptures, and thus to be counted apostolic. 

The Church has no authority to innovate: it is obliged continually, and particularly in times of renewal or reformation, to return to "the faith once delivered to the saints."  

To be an Anglican, then, is not to embrace a distinct version of Christianity, but a distinct way of being a "Mere Christian," at the same time evangelical, apostolic, catholic, reformed, and Spirit-filled. As Anglicans we affirm the following essentials of the Christian faith:  

• The Apostles and Nicene Creeds as the foundational statements of the Faith "once delivered to the saints".  

• That the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the revealed Word of God, containing all things necessary for salvation.  

• The Ecumenical Councils of the undivided Church. The Seven Sacraments of the Church as the Means of Grace.

Our faith is ancient and apostolic, our tradition of Prayer Book worship is centuries old and yet, we continue to hear and proclaim the Good News in our own generation. Each generation gives its own melody as an expression of the faith once given. 

At Saint Andrew Anglican Church, the songs from the hearts of contemporary Christians blend with the great hymns of Wesley and Watts, as well as with all the company of heaven who join in the unending praise of God. As Christians, we are standing firmly on the unwavering foundation of the past, empowered by the Holy Spirit today and embracing the future with hope and joy.  

Depending on which service you are attending you will find the Liturgy in a printed worship booklet. The Liturgy offers us common words to use together in our worship of God and ensures that the congregation participates in the service.  A rule of thumb to follow during worship is that we stand to praise God, sit to hear the Word of God, and kneel to offer up our prayers.  All Baptized Christians, regardless of age, are invited to join us at the table for Holy Communion.

Many people think of a missionary as a special type of Christian who goes to strange and far-away lands to preach the gospel and help people, and we do that too! But the United States has become a mission field, and in this often-neglected field we are planting and growing churches; parishes where the inspired Word of God is proclaimed as truth, where children learn about Jesus, and where, with the family of God, the sacraments of God's loving grace are celebrated. Our worship, our hearts, our lives are committed to His service and in His hands..