Scripture

To encounter the Scriptures is to encounter God. There are many ways someone might get a sip of water but, eventually, rain needs to fall. Scripture is rain for the Christian life. We might find wisdom in one place, a glimpse of the holy in another,  but we will need to return to the source of our understanding of the movement of God across all ages (and this age) to frame and understand what it is that we are seeing, hearing, sensing, and feeling. We will need to drink deeply of the source of our knowledge of God in Christ.

Sacraments

In the Episcopal Church we take part in certain regular acts of prayer and worship. These are called Sacraments and are a participation in Christ’s ministries on earth. The two primary Sacraments are Baptism and Holy Communion, which Christ specifically gave to the disciples with five more Sacraments also recognized as means of grace.

We believe that God is actively present in the world and in us. In the Sacraments we realize his Presence and his favor towards us. Through the Sacraments, which are freely given to us by God, our sins are forgiven, our minds are enlightened, our hearts stirred, and our wills strengthened. The two chief Sacraments are Baptism and Holy Communion, which were commanded by Christ. There are five others that the Church recognizes, including Marriage and Confession.  To learn more about the seven Sacraments, click the “learn more” button below.

The Creeds 

The Creeds are statements that contain a summary of our basic beliefs. The word “creed” comes from the Latin word Credo, which means “I believe.” In the Episcopal Church, we say both the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed in our worship. Because we are a community of faith, we openly declare our beliefs and in this way unite ourselves to Christians in the past, present, and future. The Creeds are a way of speaking about God, who God is, how God works in history and in our time, and what our relationship is with God. To learn more about the Creeds and what they mean to the Church, please click the “learn more” button below.

The Book of Common Prayer

The Episcopal Church is bound together in a unique way by the Book of Common Prayer. We believe that praying shapes believing — and that God is calling to us in each moment if we can find the space to hear that voice. While other churches might place more emphasis on doctrinal purity or strict behavior codes as a way to shape and guide their communities, we have found that welcoming the Holy Spirit by regular prayer in the patterns of the ages has a still deeper and more powerful way of shaping us. To learn more about the Book of Common Prayer and how we use and pray through it, please click the “learn more” button below.

The Daily Office

Every day is sacred. This is the premise of the Daily Office — a set of prayers for use at various points in the day. At Saint Philip’s we pray Morning Prayer on Monday through Thursday at 8:30am in the Baptistery (a small room opening off of the Chapel).  It is a simple service and it is a way of patiently engaging Psalms and Scripture together. We use a traditional language version of the Office that most closely adheres to the patterns of prayer that have shaped Christians in monasteries, churches, and dining room tables from generation to generation. To learn more about the daily cycle of prayer we call the Daily Office please click the “learn more” button below.