Every church has things it values and believes. At St. Anne’s we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and we worship God in the mystery of the Trinity. We value the rich history of the Episcopal Church and the beauty of the Anglican Communion. Here are some of the other things we hold dear.
Love & Grace
We believe God is a God of love, healing, forgiveness, and–above all–grace. Whoever you are and wherever you may be on your spiritual journey, we are certain that God loves you, and we try to do the same.
Reason & Mystery
At St. Anne’s, we live on the intersection of reason and mystery, and we seek to love God with our whole being: heart, soul, body, and mind. We believe Christians should think critically about their lives, God, and the world around them, but we also know the experience of God goes far beyond the capacities of the human mind. That’s why we also seek to engage the mystery of God through spiritual practices–such as prayer and the Sacraments–that have fed Christians for over 2,000 years.
Scripture & Sacraments
There are countless ways God speaks to humanity. Two that we and other Christians throughout the ages have found enduring and reliable are Scripture and the Sacraments. Scripture tells us where humanity’s been with God and gives us a sense of where we’re going. It is the story of God’s love. We seek to listen to it deeply each Sunday and apply it to our lives. The Sacraments (Baptism, Communion, etc.) allow God to communicate to us beyond words. They remind us that God is incarnate, involved, and interested in our world here and now, not dwelling only in some remote heaven lightyears away.
Life As a Church Community
We enjoy being together. Though the people of St. Anne’s are diverse in many ways–age, occupation, upbringing, family structure, political leanings, and more–our worship draws us together and transforms our differences into gifts, not hindrances. Through cookouts, retreats, youth group, prayer partners, supper groups, and more, we enjoy sharing our lives together beyond Sunday morning.
Renewal & Action
Life is hectic, distracted, and–in many places–broken. For that reason, it’s important to step away regularly to make time with God and to deepen our life with him. This is called “renewal,” and it takes many forms. However, we can’t stay in renewal perpetually; God needs us in the world healing, working, and transforming. At St. Anne’s, we pause regularly to make time for God in our lives, then God sends us back out into the world to bear witness to his grace, mercy, and love.
