Mission:

To know Christ, To walk with Him, To make Him known.

Believe:

Episcopalians believe that there is one loving God who creates all things and who manifested that love by sending Jesus, the Son of God, to humanity to make clear that all people are first of all children of God. Jesus was born a full human being, was crucified and put to death by people who were threatened by his message and authority. He subsequently was raised from the dead and appeared to his disciples before ascending to God's heavenly realm. We know Jesus through those who believe in him as the Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of the world.

Jesus' stories were always about coming to know a loving God who forgives sins and who wants people to be reconciled with one another. Christians believe that we have been given the ability or power, for our sins to be forgiven and for reconciliation to be achieved through God's Holy Spirit acting in us and through us. In other words, we learn that God wants each of us to share in the ongoing creation of a just and peaceful world when we invite God's power to work in us and through us.

Episcopalians accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. We believe the mission of our church is the restoration of all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.

History:

The Episcopal Church descends from the Church of England which evolved from the Roman Catholic Church. Like Martin Luther, John Calvin and other reformers in the 16th century, the Church of England protested the Pope's authority; these protestors became known as Protestants. So the Church of England, and the Episcopal Church in the United States, are both catholic (heritage going back to the earliest Christian disciples) and protestant (protesting the authority of any one bishop such as the Pope). We are often called the via media or middle way.

The Episcopal Church developed in the United States at the same time as the U.S. government. Many early American patriots were Anglicans (e.g., Washington, Jefferson, Madison), having come from the Church of England. So as the American Revolution nurtured a new form of democratic government, so, too, a new church was nurtured.