ANCIENT & CONTEMPORARY

Anglicans believe that we meet and experience God through the Sacraments, especially in Baptism and the Eucharist. A Sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace; it identifies a place where God has promised to meet his faithful people. Though God is present everywhere, we encounter him through the Sacraments in a unique way. The Sacraments remind us that this physical world matters and one day will be filled with the light and life of God. The Sacraments are a foretaste of the coming heaven-and-earth reality. Saint Stephen Church practices the living historic forms of the liturgies of the Church and the sacraments. We draw on the traditions and wisdom of the Historic Church and are unashamedly part of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. At the center of our worship is the sacrament of the Body and Blood – the Holy Eucharist – in which we believe that grace is imparted by the real presence of Christ.

  Anglicans believe that we meet and experience God through the Scriptures, God’s inspired Word that contains all things necessary for salvation. The Scriptures reveal the story of God working to restore his good creation from the effects of sin and death through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. It is the story the church finds itself a part of, and so it is the story that we strive to embody in our own context. The liturgy and lectionary ensure that Anglicans are among the most prolific Bible-reading Christians in the entire world. Saint Stephen Church has a high view of Scripture, believing that it contains all things necessary for salvation and godly living. We are committed to the faithful reading, studying, teaching, and preaching from the Scriptures; as well as believing that the Holy Scriptures are a wellspring for spiritual maturity. We believe in the importance of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, living a holy life, and a commitment to evangelism and missions.

  Anglicans believe that we meet and experience God through the Holy Spirit. By definition, the church is made up of those empowered by the Holy Spirit to follow Jesus Christ in seeking first the kingdom of God. Anglicans trust that God works through his Spirit in a variety of ways: in baptism and the Eucharist, our prayers, the laying on of hands, serving the poor, anointing with oil, and healings, among other things. And since the Spirit of God is among the people of God, each person is called upon both to cultivate the fruits of the Spirit and to utilize the gifts of the Spirit. Saint Stephen Church is open to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and believes that God’s people have always been a spiritually gifted people. From the Apostles to the modern Church, Christians have been endowed with a power beyond themselves; a power from the Holy Spirit. We allow and anticipate the Spirit’s presence and working through this gifting in both worship and in daily acts of service.