What We Believe--How We Understand the Bible

Why We Do What We Do--A Brief Explanation of the Sunday Liturgy

What is an Anglican Mission Church--A Brief Explanation of our Identity and Affliliation

What We Believe

How We Understand the Bible

The heart and soul of the Bible is its story. It is the real saga of a particular people, how God called them and intended for them to bring blessings to all people. Story is also the word that best describes our own lives. While we may or may not follow the right rules, investigate certain facts and attempt to live wisely, none of these activities provides the central way we make sense of our lives. Stories give context and provide meaning. All the different parts of the Bible come together as one narrative. To understand the Bible you must get to know its characters, understand its setting and follow its plot.

The climax and ultimate resolution will make sense only if you’ve followed the earlier parts as a story. Learn to feel the tension and wrestle with its major conflict. Lose yourself in this story the way you do with a good novel. Presented here is an abridged version of the story of the Bible as a drama in five acts.

Act I: Creation in Crisis

The drama begins with God already on the stage. He is creating the world. He makes a man, Adam and places him in the Garden of Eden to work in it and take care of it. God’s intention is for humanity to be in close relationship with him and in harmony with the rest of creation around them. God is described in these early chapters of the Bible as dwelling in the garden together with the first human beings, Adam and Eve. At the end of the first chapter of Genesis, God gives his own assessment of his work: And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. (Genesis 1:31 ESV)

Later, God’s people celebrated God’s creative work:

Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. “You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you. (Nehemiah 9:5-6 ESV)

However, tension is introduced in the story when Adam and Eve decide to go their own way and seek their own wisdom. They listen to the deceptive voice of God’s enemy, Satan, and doubt God’s trustworthiness. As a result of this rebellion:

The LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. (Genesis 3:23-24 ESV)

God’s intention in creation is known, but part of his own creation has put his plan off course. Can God regain his relationship with humanity and remove the curse from creation? Or did God’s enemy effectively end the plan and subvert the story? Act I takes only the first few pages in the Bible to be completed. Yet, it reveals God’s desire for his people, provides the setting for all the action that follows, and introduces the struggle that dominates the rest of the story.

Act II: Israel, the People of God

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3 ESV)

In calling Abram (God later renamed him Abraham) and promising to make him into a great nation, God is narrowing his focus and concentrating on one group of people for a period of time. But the ultimate goal remains the same: to bless all the peoples on earth, remove the curse from creation and restore the original relationship that existed in the garden.

When Abraham’s descendants are later enslaved in Egypt, a central pattern in the story is set: God returns to his people, frees them and restores them to the land promised to them. God makes a covenant with this new nation of Israel at Mt. Sinai. He appoints Moses to be their leader during their liberation from Egypt -- the Exodus. As part of the covenant, God makes it clear that if his people remain true to him and faithfully follow his ways, he will bless them in their new land and make it like the original Garden of Eden.

However, if Israel is not faithful to the covenant, God warns them that he will send them out of the land, just as he did with Adam and Eve. Sadly, and in spite of God’s repeated warnings and pleadings, they are determined to go their own way. They break the covenant, follow the false gods of the nations that surround them and bring the judgment of God down upon themselves.

Abraham’s descendants, chosen to reverse the failure of Adam, have now apparently failed themselves. Along the way, however, God has planted the seeds of a different outcome. One of Israel’s kings, David, is noted for being “a man after God’s own heart.” So God promises to send another king to Israel, a son of David, who will lead Israel wisely, bring the nation back to God and be the agent of blessing to the peoples of the world. So while Act II ends tragically, with God apparently absent, the hope of a promise remains.

Act III: Jesus – Israel’s Messiah and the World’s True King

Four centuries later, the people of Israel are suffering under Roman occupation and waiting for God to return. An angel of God comes to a young woman named Mary and announces:

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:31-33 ESV)

Jesus’ arrival is introduced with a claim that God is keeping his promise. So Jesus begins his mission. He heals sickness and disease among the people. He confronts God’s enemies in the spiritual realm, the demons, and forcefully orders them to leave the people whom they torment. Jesus forgives the sins of those who humbly come to him. He proclaims the gospel, or good news, that: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”(Mark 1:15 ESV) The very heart of Jesus’ message is the good news of the coming of God’s reign. God is coming back to dwell with his people. This is why Jesus is called Immanuel, which means “God with us.”

But Jesus’ message receives mixed responses. Some people believe. Out of these Jesus chooses twelve disciples or followers. Most people simply watch him with amazement, never knowing quite what to make of him. The established religious leaders quickly become hostile towards him. Eventually this conflict escalates to the breaking point and the religious leaders conspire to have Jesus arrested and killed on a cross.

But this defeat is actually God’s greatest victory. Jesus’ death and resurrection turns the tables on God’s enemy and turns the world upside down. By willingly giving up his life as a sacrifice, Jesus takes onto himself God’s judgment for our wrongdoing. As the Early Christian leader Paul later wrote:

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. (Colossians 2:13-15 ESV)

Jesus speaks the message of God as Israel’s true prophet. He defeats the very power behind all evil as Israel’s true king, the son of David. As Israel’s true priest, he gives up his own life as a sacrifice for his people. Through his death, he leads his people to a new Exodus and to a new life. In all of this, Jesus shows himself to be the promised child of Abraham who reconciles humanity with God. It is through Jesus that Israel can finally fulfill its role, the purpose for which God called Abraham.

This account of Jesus is the focal point of the Bible’s entire story. The key struggle with God’s enemy, the desperate attempts to correct what has gone wrong at the very heart of things, comes to a head in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. He is the one and only hero of the story.

Act IV: The New People of God

If the key victory has already been secured, why is there more to the story? God wants the victory of Jesus to spread to all the nations of the world. Those who follow Jesus are being built into God’s new temple, the place where God’s Spirit lives. God is gathering these people from all around the world and forming them into his Church.

The task of bringing blessing to the peoples of the world has been given again to the descendants of Abraham. According to the New Testament, all those who belong to Christ are true children of Abraham (Galatians 3:29). Act IV emphasizes the mission of Christ-followers: to proclaim and live out the liberating message of the good news of Christ’s kingdom.

Act IV moves through history to our own time, enveloping us in its drama. The message of Christ and his kingdom has now come to us. The challenge of faith and obedience now confronts us, too. What will we do? How will we fit into the story? The Bible gives the true account of the central conflict in world history. Will we be a part of God’s mission of re-creation – of restoring the world around us and making the world (including ourselves) new?

Act V: The New Creation

When God’s mission through the Church is complete, Jesus will return to earth in power and glory to judge the living and the dead. Then, the reign of God will become a reality throughout God’s creation.

Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. (1 Corinthians 15:24-25 ESV)

The curse of humanity’s rebellion will be removed. The blessing of Abraham will be complete. The temple of God will be the new heavens and earth, and God will live with us forever. Listen to how John (one of Jesus’ closest friends and a leader in the early Church) summarized the re-creation.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I lam making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, he tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 21:1-5; 22:1-5 ESV)

Finding Your Place in the Story

The story of Jesus offers a new beginning for humanity and confronts each of us with a personal choice. If you haven’t begun to follow the way that Jesus provided for restoring your relationship with God, this section will help you to understand what this means. If you are following Jesus, these ideas are valuable in helping you realize what you have been given through Christ.

Soon after Christ had given his mission to his followers and returned to heaven, Peter (who was a disciple of Jesus and a leader in the early Church) was speaking to a gathering of Jews. He recounts the story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, then challenges them to make the right response to what God has done for them:

Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.” (Acts 3:19-26 ESV)

Peter connects Jesus’ sacrifice to the ancient promise made to Abraham. He makes clear that now is the time for the blessing to occur. God has made a way for you to turn away from your wrongdoing and return to him.

As a son or daughter of Adam, you were born separated from God and the close, trusting relationship he desires to have with you. Jesus is the one who can bring you back to God. Your sins can be forgiven and your life can be renewed when you personally accept Christ’s sacrifice on your behalf. As John’s account of the story of Jesus puts it:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 ESV)

Your life’s story can be rewritten within the story-line of the Bible. You can join with God’s people from all over the world who are living our Act IV today and looking for Act V tomorrow. For this to happen, though, you must turn away from your sins and commit to trust and follow Jesus.

One of the most important things you can do is to read these Scriptures carefully. God’s Spirit uses them actively and powerfully to accomplish his purposes in you and through you to impact the world.

The Bible is not necessarily an easy book to read. Some passages are difficult for everyone to understand. If you stick with it, if you are committed to learning more about God and the story he’s given us in the Bible, it will guide you, change you and keep you close to God.

Why We Do What We Do

A Brief Explanation of the Sunday Liturgy

Introduction

One of the first things people notice about All Saints is the way we worship. That observation often prompts the inquiry, “Why do we do that?” This article will help you understand the meaning behind the things we say and do, whether you are a newcomer asking these questions for the first time, or a long-standing member in need of a refresher. May the information offered in this article more fully prepare you to worship the Triune God in spirit and truth, with reverence and awe.

Ancient & Future

The first thing to note about All Saints’ worship is that the liturgy is ancient and future. In the Old Testament, the people of God gathered three times a year to commemorate their redemption from Egypt and to celebrate God’s goodness in creation (Lev. 23). At these sacred times, the Israelites moved through a somewhat regular pattern of worship. (See Exo. 19-24; Lev. 1-9; Josh. 8:30-35; 2 Chr. 5-7 and 29-31.) First, they were called to assemble. Second, there was a form of purification, usually a sin offering. Third, they often heard God’s mighty saving deeds recounted or listened to instruction from God’s law. Fourth, they demonstrated their devotion to God through burnt and grain offerings. Fifth, they communed with God through the fellowship offerings. Last, blessing was pronounced over them.

Following Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, the first Christians insisted that Jesus’ death was the final sin offering (Heb. 7:26-8:2), leaving no room for the sacrificial system of the Old Testament. Rather, they gathered on Sundays to celebrate Jesus’ victory over sin and death. At the same time, the early church recognized that the worship of the ancient Israelites followed the pattern and movement of worship in heaven and that new covenant worship on earth joined the worship of heaven (Exo. 25:40; Heb. 8:5; 12:22-24; Rev. 4:1-5:14). They saw Sunday corporate worship as an intersection between heaven and earth, and an anticipation of the wedding supper of the Lamb at the return of Christ (Rev. 19). Thus, early Christian worship on the Lord’s Day included confession of sin, hearing the Word of God, prayer, offering gifts to the Lord, and communing with Christ in the Lord’s Supper.

Within a few centuries, the early Christians began to commemorate certain days on which God’s great saving acts in Jesus had occurred. Special worship services developed for these holy days (holidays), like Christmas and Easter. As the Christian calendar developed, the holy days and times were grouped into two cycles each year: the Season of Light and the Season of Life. The Season of Light begins in the darkest time of the year with Advent, a period of solemn preparation before celebrating the birth of Jesus on Christmas. The Season of Light continues for twelve days after Christmas until Epiphany (the day of the wise men) when we commemorate the leaders of the nations coming to worship Jesus and the light of the Gospel breaking into the world.

The Season of Life begins in the deadest time of the year with Lent, a forty-day period of solemn preparation before celebrating the resurrection of Jesus on Easter. The Season of Life continues for fifty days after Easter until Pentecost, when we commemorate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the new life of the Gospel advancing into the world. Thus, both of these seasons begin with a time of solemn reflection, move into a commemoration of God's rescue of the world through Jesus and climax with a celebration of God's salvation going out into the world until Jesus comes again.

The calendar and liturgy at All Saints is therefore both ancient and future: grounded in the worship modeled Scripture; patterned after the worship of the early church; joined to the worship in heaven; and anticipating the worship of the new creation at Christ’s glorious return.

Ritual & Ceremony

“Liturgy” literally means “the work of the people,” and this partly explains why the whole congregation participates in various aspects of the service, both by word and action, by ritual and ceremony. When important events occur in life, we commemorate it with ritual and ceremony. For example, we celebrate birthdays with cakes, candles, singing and presents. Almost all special events involve a meal together, whether the rehearsal dinner of a wedding or a covered dish supper following a funeral. Sometimes people question liturgy because it may seem inauthentic. But this is not the case for many Christian believers. Liturgy enriches worship by involving the whole person: seeing the lighted candles and uplifted cross; confessing our sins and our faith; hearing God’s Word; standing in worship; lifting our hands in praise and need; kneeling in prayer; embracing at the peace; tasting the bread and wine. Since biblical worship is liturgical, involving ritual and ceremony, and since God’s people are a kingdom of priests, the restored temple (Exo. 4:22-23; 19:3-6; Eph. 2:19-22; 1 Pet. 2:4-10; Rev. 1:4-6; 5:10), worship through word and action is the priestly service of all God’s people with all of our selves, body and soul.

Word & Sacrament

The Book of Common Prayer (1979) calls the Sunday service “The Holy Eucharist: The Liturgy for the Proclamation of the Word of God and the Celebration of Holy Communion.” There are three things to note about this title. The service is called a “Eucharist,” a Greek word meaning “thanksgiving.” In the service we give thanks to God for his saving work through Jesus by the Spirit. Second, the service is a liturgy. The words and actions of the service are found on pages 351-366 of the Prayer Book. Third, the liturgy comprises two parts. The Word of God is proclaimed, and the Holy Communion is celebrated. The Gospel is preached and enacted through word and sacrament. Most people are familiar with sermons from the Bible, but for some folks, a “sacrament” is a new notion. In short, Christ gave us the sacraments of baptism and communion as outward signs and seals of inward spiritual grace and as the way we receive his grace. Through the bread and the wine and by the Spirit, our faith, hope and love are empowered. With this in mind, let’s take a closer look at the two parts of The Holy Eucharist to answer further the question, “Why Do We Do That?”

The Word of God

Procession

Before the liturgy proper begins, the various ministers of the service process in while the congregation sings a hymn. The procession enacts the spiritual reality that in our worship we join the exodus of angels and saints into God’s temple. The church on earth together with the church in heaven enters God’s presence. This exodus explains why the cross leads the procession. Only by the cross of Jesus may we leave the world behind and enter God’s holy dwelling. In many services, acolytes, who are usually children assisting in the service, carry torches behind the cross to light our way to heaven above. To further picture the heavenly reality of our worship, the various ministers wear white robes (called albs), representing the radiant garments of the heavenly congregation and reminding us that only those declared righteous by faith in Jesus may stand before the throne. The clergy wear collars symbolizing their roles as servants of Christ and his people and stoles (a colored piece of fabric draped around the neck for priests and shoulder for deacons) symbolizing the season of the church year.

Opening Acclamation

The leader of the service, usually a priest (called the Celebrant in the Prayer Book), begins the liturgy with an acclamation of praise to which the congregation responds. In this brief verse and response are the heart of worship: blessing God for who he is and what he does.

Collect of Purity or Confession of Sin

At the outset of the service, we ask God to purify us to worship him rightly. This is done in one of two ways. In two seasons of the church year, the corporate confession of sin is offered, and the Celebrant pronounces God’s absolution. We confess the truth: we have broken God’s law and only he can forgive us. The Celebrant announces God’s pardon as the Lord’s voice to the people. In the other seasons of the church year, the congregation prays the Collect of Purity. A collect is a short prayer, usually one sentence that makes one request of God, in this case, for God to cleanse us to magnify his name.

Worship in Song

Having been assured of God’s mercy and the Spirit’s grace, we lift our voices to adore our Lord. In the Prayer Book, an ancient hymn of pure worship, called the Gloria (Latin for “glory”), is sung. However, at All Saints, we normally replace the Gloria with several songs of praise and worship, but the point remains the same. Many members of All Saints sing with great freedom, lifting their hands. Not only are these actions biblical, they are also appropriate given the worthiness of our God.

Collect of the Day

At the end of the worship set, the Celebrant invites the congregation to prayer, using a greeting and response.

Celebrant: The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

In this greeting, we confess that the great hope of every Christian is indeed true: God makes his home with us. Then the Celebrant offers the Collect of the Day, a brief prayer that emphasizes the theme for that season of the church year. The Collect of the Day along with the Scripture readings and the Preface of the Eucharistic prayer (see below) are called “The Proper.” The Collects may be found beginning on page 211 of the Prayer Book.

The Scripture Readings

At this point in the liturgy, we are seated and placed under the authority of God’s word, captured in the response to the Old and New Testament lessons each Sunday.

Reader: The Word of the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God.

God speaks to us through Scripture, and we are bound to obey gratefully. In between the Old and New Testaments lessons a psalm is read, often responsively. The Psalms are the Bible’s prayer book and an anatomy of the redeemed soul. The final lesson each Sunday is from the Gospels. The deacon reads the Gospel lesson from the midst of the congregation to symbolize the incarnation of Jesus: the Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. When the deacon announces the Gospel reading, some members of the church make a three-fold sign of the cross on their forehead, mouth and chest to remind them that the word of Christ must be on their minds, lips and hearts. The Scripture readings are normally taken from the Lectionary (pages 888ff in The Book of Common Prayer) and follow the story of the church year.

The Sermon

Following the reading of Scripture, God’s Word is proclaimed by a priest or some other person authorized to preach. Limiting the preaching role to certain people safeguards the church from false teaching. The sermon is, first of all, a proclamation of the Gospel and secondly, an exhortation or application of the Scriptures to the church. Therefore, the sermon prepares us for Communion: thankful for God’s work and trusting his grace for obedience.

The Creed

After hearing God’s Word proclaimed, we stand and profess the faith of the church in the words of the Nicene Creed. The creed dates from the 4^th century AD when bishops and theologians gathered in council at the cities of Nicaea and Constantinople to address various heresies. The Nicene Creed is affirmed by all Christians as a summary of the Trinitarian faith. In confessing it, we affirm the faith and profess in the heavenly realms that there is no God but ours. Often people ask why we use the word “catholic” in the creed. “Catholic” does not mean we are part of the Roman Catholic Church. Rather, “catholic” means we are part of the “universal” church, the body of Christ’s baptized and faithful people throughout space and time.

The Prayers of the People & Confession of Sin

The deacon or lay minister invites us to kneel for prayer, The congregation joins the petitions verbally or silently. As a kingdom of priests, we intercede for the church, the world, and those in need. The Book of Common Prayer offers a number of different sets of prayers, beginning on page 383. If the confession of sin was not offered earlier in the service, it concludes the prayers of the people.

The Peace

The Celebrant then pronounces the Lord’s peace to the people, and they respond to him in peace. The Peace is not merely a chance to say hello to friends we have not seen in a week. The liturgy reminds us that to come to the Table, we must be in right fellowship with others. What we enact in the peace, assumes a reality in our lives: that nothing divides us from others in the church as we come to receive the body of Christ.

The Holy Communion

The Offertory

The second part of the liturgy begins with the collection of our tithes and offerings to the Lord. This flows with the overall movement of the Holy Communion liturgy, in which we give thanks to God for his goodness to us. The offertory is the gift of our firstfruits back the Giver of all things. The congregation stands and sings the Doxology to conclude the offertory.

The Great Thanksgiving

Now we come to the communion prayer, which contains several parts. First, the Celebrant (a priest or the bishop when he visits) begins with an antiphonal greeting inviting the congregation to lift their hearts in thanksgiving. Second, the Celebrant offers the Preface to the communion prayer, which either expresses the theme of the church year or praises the Trinity. The Preface flows into singing two Biblical hymns as one song. The first hymn, the Sanctus (Latin for “holy”), is the song of the angelic beings in Isaiah 6 and Revelation 4. The second hymn, the Benedictus (Latin for “blessed”), is the song of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. When we sing these Scriptural songs, we join the choirs of heaven praising God before his throne. We entreat the Lord Jesus to join us at the Altar by the Holy Spirit. Even more, we cry out for Jesus to return in power and glory for the great wedding feast of the Lamb (Rev. 19).

After the song, the congregation kneels or stands, while the Celebrant offers to the Father the Prayer of Consecration. This Prayer proclaims the gospel, recalls Jesus’ words of institution at the Passover and invokes the Holy Spirit to consecrate the bread and wine as the spiritual body and blood of Jesus and to consecrate us to receive it properly. Throughout the Great Thanksgiving, the Celebrant lifts his hands, an ancient, biblical posture for prayer, and makes the sign of the cross over the elements, symbolizing their consecration as the body and blood of Jesus. At the conclusion of the Prayer of Consecration, the congregation stands and recites the Lord’s Prayer. Praying the Lord’s Prayer reminds us that its petitions are met in the grace of God which we receive at the table, and that the Lord’s Supper is our foretaste of his kingdom coming in its fullness.

The Breaking of the Bread & Communion

Then in silence, the Celebrant breaks the consecrated bread and invites the people to receive. As Christ was broken on the cross for our sins, so by the bread our union with him is assured and strengthened. We are in Christ, and Christ is in us. As Christ’s blood was poured out on the cross, the wine assures us that our sins are forgiven, that his grace is sufficient, and that one day we will drink the fruits of the new creation. Some members of the church will make the sign of the cross before and after receiving communion to remind them that only through Jesus may we have intimacy with God and that their lives are committed to the way of the cross. Of course, communion is a time of celebration. As Jesus feeds us with grace by the Spirit, so the worship team leads in singing God’s praises, again. Once everyone has communed with the Lord, the Celebrant and congregation offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the Lord’s Supper and ask God to empower us to live lives worthy of him in the world.

Benediction & Dismissal

Then the priest (or the bishop when present) pronounces the Triune God’s blessing over his beloved people. Many in the congregation make the sign of the cross as they receive the benediction. As the liturgy concludes, we are sent out into the world on Christ’s mission by the power of the Spirit. On occasion, we begin the dismissal with the Zimbabwe Covenant or the Kenyan Litany, not only participating in the truth of those words, but truly identifying with the global Church. The ministers of the service then process out, symbolizing our return journey into the world on Christ’s behalf. And lastly, the deacon dismisses us with thanksgiving, a fitting end to The Holy Eucharist.

For Further Information

If you have further questions about the liturgy at All Saints or the Church Year, feel free to contact Rev. Charlie Vensel at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . You may also find Thomas Howard’s booklet The Liturgy Explained helpful. For in depth study, see Simon Chan’s Liturgical Theology and Jeffrey Meyers’ The Lord’s Service. Robert Webber’s book, Ancient Future Time: Forming Spirituality through the Church Year, is an excellent resource for exploring the seasons of the church calendar.

What is an Anglican Mission Church?

A Brief Explanation of our Identity and Affiliation

Introduction

You may have noticed that All Saints is “An Anglican Mission Church” and wondered what that means. This brief summary will help by introducing you to Anglicanism, the Anglican Mission, and how we relate.

An Historic Church

The Anglican Church traces its roots to the church of the first century. From its beginnings in Jerusalem, the Christian church spread across Europe and into England by the third century. The continuity of the church’s life and mission after the apostles was overseen by the historic order of bishops. As early as the fifth century, Rome became the headquarters of the church with its branches in many countries, including England.

In the 1500’s, pressures to reform the church spread in Europe partly as a reaction to the corruption in the church and partly because the church had strayed from a biblical faith. In England, this led to a split from Rome and the beginning of the Church of England. While in some countries the historical patterns of the church’s worship and government were discarded, the Church of England reformed them instead and kept what it saw as godly and worthy. This included the three offices of bishops, priests, and deacons, the two sacraments of Baptism and Communion, and the forms of common prayer for public worship found in The Book of Common Prayer. The Church of England did not create a lengthy written confession of doctrine like some, but chose to articulate its faith through its adherence to the Bible, the prayer book and the 39 Articles of Religion. Our worship, organization, and beliefs go back many centuries and provide rich continuity with Christians of earlier generations.

A Global Church

As the British Empire spread to many parts of the world (including the United States) in the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries, so the faith and worship of the Church of England went with it. The national churches founded through these missionary endeavors came to be called Anglican Churches. In the twentieth century, Anglican Churches saw significant growth outside England, most notably in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The worldwide family of Anglican Churches is known today as the Anglican Communion. It consists of 38 provinces with some 80 million members. Each province, or geographically organized Church, governs itself, and all the provinces are associated with each other by being in fellowship with the Archbishop of Canterbury in England and by the shared tradition of faith and worship from the Church of England. The Archbishop of Canterbury has a symbolic and unifying role but no official authority over the other provinces. The provinces come together through representatives collaborating and consulting on a regular basis, most notably the Lambeth Conference of Bishops held approximately every ten years.

A Missionary Church

Sadly the Anglican Church has declined in the West, but God has brought much life and growth to the churches of the Global South, particularly in Africa. Africa is now home to the large majority of Anglicans in the world and the church is thriving there. Not coincidentally, the churches in the West have increasingly embraced novel values and moved away from the authority of the historic, biblical faith, while the churches in the Global South have stood firm on the historic, biblical faith. With a firm resolve to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus, the Anglican Churches of Africa have experienced rapid growth in recent decades.

As a response to this decline in the US, the Anglican Archbishops of Rwanda and South-East Asia agreed to send missionary bishops to the US and the Anglican Mission in the Americas (AMiA) was born in 2000. The Anglican Mission’s aim is to plant Anglican churches in the US that hold the historic, biblical faith and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus to the 130 million unchurched people in the US. The Anglican Mission provides a way for congregations and clergy to be fully Anglican—connected to the worldwide Anglican Communion through the leadership in Rwanda—while, at the same time, being free of the crises of faith, leadership and mission in the Episcopal Church USA. There are now around 150 churches in the Anglican Mission with hundreds of new churches planned in the next ten years.

An Empowered Church

All Saints Church is an Anglican Mission Church. We participate in a network of Anglican Mission churches in the southeast area to fulfill the Anglican Mission’s vision. With the inheritance of biblical faith, worshipping in the Anglican tradition, and following godly leadership from Rwanda, we are called to reach the upstate with the good news of redemption in Jesus Christ. The work and needs of our community are great, and so we depend on the empowering of God’s Holy Spirit to accomplish the mission. Only the Spirit can give the strength and gifts for the task. Will you consider if God is calling you to join us in the mission? To learn more about the Anglican Mission, visit www.theamia.org and www.visitallsaints.org.