Welcome to the Traditional Anglican Church
We would like to introduce ourselves. This little
introduction comes to you from a part of God's family. We want to share with you
what we have and we hope that you will feel free to join us in our adventure in
faith.
Our Adventure Story . . .
God has a habit of stirring things up! When God became Man
He disturbed the religious leaders of the day. It isn't surprising that one of
the signs of the continued presence of Jesus in the Church is that people are
led to do disturbing things still.
When people go on an adventure for God, they are often
challenged by church leaders who ask the question, "By what authority do you act
in this way?" It seems presumptuous to suggest that the authority comes from
God. Jesus told His disciples to go into the world as witnesses filled with His
Spirit. We are trying to be obedient to that calling. We would like you to join
us.
What Does The Adventure
Involve? . . .
The short answer to that question is that it involves a
great deal of sacrifice. When we meet together around God's altar, we say to
God, "And here we offer and present unto thee, O Lord, ourselves, our souls and
bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto thee."
All over this country small groups of people are
establishing Christian congregations in the Anglican/Episcopal tradition. A few
families get together. They may begin in a home, or rent a hall. They have to
give a whole lot of energy, talent and money to serve in a new congregation as
together they reach out to people like you. As the new congregation grows, it
buys land and finally builds a church. In the family of each church, ordinary
people, young and old, meet the living Lord, learn His will, and become His
servants.
Why Make Such A Sacrifice? .
. .
Christianity is a missionary faith. It spread through
Europe and from Europe
to the New World, Africa, and the East. Men and women risked all to accomplish
this missionary task. As the Church on earth is made up of mere mortals, it gets
things wrong from time to time. God rescues His Church through changed lives.
Four hundred years ago, at what we call the Reformation, some English clergymen
risked their lives to call the Church back to its faith and mission. They did
not create a "new church." They reformed the part of the Church in which they
served. That Church is called the Church of England.
Most of the first settlers in
America belonged to that
Church. After the Revolution they called themselves Episcopalians. During the
last thirty years many Episcopalians have felt called to reform their part of
the Church. Reformation renews; it doesn't start something new!
|
How Do You Know You Are
Right? . . .
We believe we are doing God's will by testing our beliefs
by the witness of the Church. What does that mean? God works through people.
People note their experiences. The greatest book of experiences is called the
Bible. God inspired its writers to record that which God revealed not only to
them but to His people, and particularly through the life, death, resurrection,
and ascension of His Son. We are a biblical church.
When the Church forgets its purpose by neglecting the
Scriptures, forgetting the Tradition and substituting new ideas and purposes,
God uses His chosen few to bring His people back to Him.
What About Ordinary People? .
. .
All Christians are ordinary people. God makes the
difference. There are four orders of called people in the Church. They are
bishops, who are new Apostles; priests, who share the Apostolic calling; and
deacons, who inspire us to be servants of the Lord.
Laymen form the fourth order. Laymen share fully in our
adventure in faith. They are called to participate fully in worship. Our
liturgy, the Book of Common Prayer, ensures that worship is conducted by all the
people and not just by a minister.
Lay people are called to share fully in service. In the
local congregation, the people of God own their property and minister to others
through their elected representatives. This is also true in the whole Church.
Laymen spread the Gospel, help the needy and set examples of God's love.
What Does All this Amount
To?. . .
In technical language, the Traditional Anglican Church is a
continuing Anglican Church. By 'continuing' we mean remaining constant to the
faith delivered to us by our forebears in the Anglican Church, the Great Western
Church, and all the way back to the Early Church established by our Lord Jesus
Christ Himself through His Apostles. Its beliefs are based on the teachings of
the Bible as explained in the Creeds and the Tradition of the Church. Its
bishops hold valid consecrations and are in Apostolic Succession to the original
apostles who were chosen by Christ Himself. The liturgy in use is the 1928 Book
of Common Prayer.
Our family is not an exclusive club. It is open to all who
wish to know, worship, and serve our Lord. The witness of the Traditional
Anglican Church is twofold. It exists to preach and bear witness to the Good
News of our Lord Jesus Christ, as set forth in the teachings of the Bible and
the Tradition of the Church. The Bible and the Tradition of the Church are
relevant to the ever changing demands of modern life today. The Traditional
Anglican Church also calls Anglicans back to the high levels truth and of
service it was once known to posses. Our Church is a family of Christians
devoted to our Lord Jesus Christ and you are invited to be a part of our family. |
