The second of our six church values states that, “we are Anglican in our form, as we reflect the Reformation in the shape and substance of our common prayer.”

We are more than just Anglican by name, for we also follow the way of doing church that was put in place by the English Reformers in the sixteenth century.

So even though we don’t use 500-year-old words, we still follow the vibe of the ‘Book of Common Prayer’ in our church services.

This means we regularly say things out loud as we pray prayers, declare our beliefs, and sing songs and Psalms.

We talk about our sin, pray for forgiveness, and then comfort each other by hearing God’s grace and mercy.

We focus on praying for the world, the community, the work of the church, and the needs of individuals, as well as the words and the message of the Lord’s Prayer. 

We experience the power of the cross in the Lord’s Supper, and we prayerfully portray the joy of spiritual rebirth in the baptism of people of all ages.

We trust the Bible as God’s word, so we read each week from the Old and New Testaments and also a Gospel, and we listen carefully to the preaching of the sermon.

We follow the ordination service to help us choose and appoint pastors, and to explain how bishops and other ministers should live and act. 

We also teach and believe what is written in ‘The Articles of Religion’ which summarises what we believe about our Triune God, his people, and the world.

We love being a part of a worldwide family of Anglicans, celebrating our common faith, even though our style is less formal than some.

Above all, our services are special occasions where we come together to experience God with the congregation in our church as we serve all the people living in our parish.

JODIE McNEILL

(Photo credit: Charles Clegg via Flickr)

The first of our six church values states that, “we are orthodox in our doctrine, as we believe and teach God’s unchanging word in an ever-changing world.”

The word ‘orthodox’ reminds us of ‘orthodontist’, a person who makes crooked teeth straight… just like how our church seeks to have ‘straight’ teaching that’s aligned to God’s word.

We hear God’s word when the Bible is read and taught, and that’s why we devote time to listening and reading aloud his words from the Bible, as well as learning and growing from the sermon, the Q&A segment, and the teaching in our small groups.

We want to know God’s word well because we live in a world that has drifted away from listening to the loving creator and ruler of the universe.

So, we want to know and tell God’s great gospel word to everyone, so that all people can hear what God really thinks is the world’s problem, as well as knowing his ultimate solution through the death of Jesus in our place.

This will also mean that our beliefs will clash with views in our society, especially in areas of ‘ethics’, (like abortion and gender), as well as other ‘doctrines’, (like the literal resurrection of Jesus, and the exclusivity of Christ for salvation).

We can be tempted to soften God’s word so that we don’t experience conflict with society, but we know God is offended when people miscommunicate him, and we want to honour him in every way.

But we also know that God’s unchanging word in the Bible is actually the most wonderful message to an uncertain and rapidly-changing world… and we want it to be spoken loud and clear, so it can offer true hope in Christ Jesus.

JODIE McNEILL

(Image credit: John Lustig via Flickr)