We, in the Episcopal Church, are a people of story and experience.  We worship in beauty with music and poetry.  Together we gather and tell the Biblical stories of people’s experience of God.  Then we participate in those stories.  We break the bread and drink the wine, we baptize the child; we anoint the new disciple.  We become part of the “communion of saints” as the gift of holy time and space make us  One.  Worship is the work of the people and our liturgy expects that all will play an integral part.  This tradition of liturgy, which might seem overly repetitive, is designed to facilitate a spiritual experience that leads beyond words to an encounter with the Holy.

Worship is the center piece of our community of faith.  We believe that people pray what they believe and believe what they pray.  Our liturgies all come from the Book of Common Prayer.  What we have in common is the way we worship: the words we say, the sacraments we celebrate.  From this experience of worship we discern who we are, what we believe, and how to act.

We worship as the Body of Christ because we understand that we are called to live as the Body of Christ.  We believe that this Body includes all whom Jesus loves.  If one in the body suffers, then all in the body suffer.  Injustice for one is injustice for all.  Need for one is need for all.  To this end we are active at Grace Church in immigration reform and other ministries of bridge building that endeavor to assist people to move from where they are to where they want to be.  We do not offer particular political solutions, but seek to boldly hold the light of the Gospel on justice issues.

The Episcopal Church believes that it is called to full inclusion.  More recently that policy has focused on our LGBTQIA brothers and sisters.  All are welcome to full membership in the Episcopal Church.  As we move forward we will be challenged to welcome and minister with other people “not like us”.  Here at Grace we are only beginning to understand the transformative power of being in servant relationship with “people not like us”.

The Episcopal Church values education, both secular and religious.  The scripture is central to its teaching and worship and members are expected to be thoughtful, informed citizens.  Our church, from its beginning, believed that all should worship and read the scriptures in their own language.  This makes thoughtful debate and theological reflection possible (and encouraged) for all.