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 The
way we worship and beliefs
People are often confused by the word
liturgy.
Liturgy
is simply the format of public worship in a Christian church.
So every church is liturgical.
The issue is what kind of liturgy
does a church use?
Is it contemporary?
Is it traditional?
Is it informal?
Is it more Catholic in style or
more Protestant?.
 When we worship together at St. John’s you
will find the words, music, and prayers to be filled with
great meaning, beauty, and power.
Many people feel comfortable in our service because we
combine different styles.
For those who like a relaxed and contemporary style, we
use contemporary music, multimedia presentations, and
relevant, Biblical preaching for our lives today.
But we also feel many contemporary churches
lack liturgical depth when all you get is 20 minutes of
opening songs, announcements, sermon, and closing song. And
often in those churches any song which is more than five years
old is considered out of date.
We reach back to some of the richness of historic
liturgy and music to include in our service.
These elements reach some people with a more
traditional liturgical background such as former
Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans, and Catholics.
Our services
are led by the Holy Spirit which adds a supernatural dimension
to our worship. We usually include Holy Communion as a part of
worship.
We also seek to
reveal God in continuing and full ways through the Spirit-led
use of Bible study. Our worship is a response to God's
loving-kindness shown to us in so many ways including His
incarnation and death for us, and his resurrection. We are
told to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our
soul, all our strength and with all our mind. This we do with
open and repentant hearts.
What
is Anglican Exactly?
 The Anglican
way is known as a broad way. The
Anglican Communion dates back to the 16th
century and is made up of over 77 million believers; the
world's largest Protestant body
Our
faith centers on the good news of the Christian faith in that
even though we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory
of God, Jesus’ death and resurrection have made it possible
for us to be forgiven, saved, and restored to his family, and
be part of His Kingdom here and now as well as after death. We
who were separated from God can know him personally by
receiving his free gift of salvation and trusting in his love
and mercy. We can be sure of eternal life by putting our trust
in Jesus Christ.
The
authority for that faith is the
Bible, both the Old and New Testaments. The Old
Testament looks to the coming of Jesus, and the New Testament
recounts his Life, Death and Resurrection and how he fulfills
the Old Testament.
We
believe that
Jesus
will, at the right time, return in glory to establish his
Kingdom forever. We believe that the Holy Scriptures contain
all things necessary for life and salvation.
The Holy Spirit
seeks to change us and make us more like Christ in every way.
He develops in us godly characteristics like love, joy,
patience, peace, and humility. We are given gifts and
abilities for ministry. We believe that the ministries of the
Holy Spirit seen in the New Testament are good gifts that God
still gives to Christians today. We believe that God still
desires to pour out his life into us.
In
essence, our beliefs are stated clearly in the
Nicene and
Apostles creeds, both of which are used by the
Anglican Communion in its worship day by day and week by week.
They are ancient and universal statements of Christian faith.
Anglican
Links
The Lord brings many
new people to St. John's Anglican Church from various places
for various reasons. Regardless of why you came, we welcome
you to our fellowship.
Being Part of the Body
When we talk about
joining the church, we are using ancient, Biblical language.
Scripture describes the church as the "Body of Christ". So to
"join" is to be connected like an arm or a leg. For centuries
words like "member" and "join" applied only to the church,
long before there were clubs and corporations. There are no
solitary Christians, and we really do need each other. Joining
a church gives God the opportunity to mature you through
relationships.
How
do I become a member?
We encourage you to
attend a Newcomers Class which we offer several times a year.
We discuss who we are at St. John's, and explain our beliefs
and vision. We give you an introduction to the history of the
church, and how we fit in as members of the Anglican
Communion. These classes will help you discover more about us
and ask any questions that you want.
Baptism, Confirmation, and Reception
We receive new members into our body in various ways,
depending on an individual’s circumstances. Baptism is for
those who are making a first-time commitment to Christ and
have never been baptized before. For more information
regarding baptism, talk to our Rector.
Confirmation classes are also available for those who have
been baptized and who want to “confirm” the commitment made on
their behalf while they were still young. If you have already
been baptized as an adult, then we can “receive” you into our
Church, if that is your wish. If you are still at the
questioning stage with regard to the Christian faith, we'd
love to meet you and answer your questions. We offer a
newcomer’s class where the various aspects of our faith can be
openly and honestly discussed and considered.
We also plan to offer the Alpha Course once a year
which is a good review of the basics of or faith.
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