Beliefs & Practices

We are deeply respectful toward other faiths and committed to inter-faith dialogue and witness. While we feel called to follow Jesus, we don’t presume that all people are called to the same path. 

We are people of the Book. The Bible is our sacred text and story. But we also acknowledge that the Bible is an ancient human document, full of all the contradictions and inconsistencies of humanity. We seek in Scripture spiritual inspiration, historical grounding for our faith, the teachings of Jesus and of the Hebrew prophets before him, and guidance for our own life of prayer and service.

We are people of community and of communion. We strive to love our neighbors as ourselves and respect the dignity of every person. For Episcopalians, our gathering in community and our common prayers are priceless. We don’t need to agree with one another about matters of faith, but we are called to pray together, with and for one another. We believe, as Jesus taught, that when two or three of us are gathered, he is in our midst, and we need the diversity of human community to embody God’s dream — all baptized Christians who worship with us, not only members of the Episcopal Church, are welcome to participate in the sharing of bread and wine.

We are people of both tradition and innovation.  Both men and women, LGBT, and those who are married are eligible for ordination as deacons, priests and bishops. Lay people exercise a vital role in the governance and ministry of our church.

We are people of deep questioning and curiosity. We love the rituals of worship, and the open-mindedness of spiritual exploration. We are committed to reaching out, beyond the Church, to seek and serve Christ in all persons.