The Six Pillars
Several years ago God gave us the image of six pillars which are the theological foundation upon which we are to take our stand. We hope that the following description of these pillars will help you get to know us.
The first pillar is Truth as revealed through Holy Scriptures as has been understood and practiced by the larger Church for the past 2000 years. We believe the Bible is the final authority in all things, realizing that the wisdom of God is found in the Church's traditional, historic applications of God's Word to daily life. It is our desire to provide ongoing opportunities for all our people to deepen their knowledge of Holy Scripture and to better apply its Truth in their daily lives.
The second pillar is Salvation. We believe that we are saved by God's Grace through His gift of faith, and we continually seek to proclaim our faith in Jesus, the Messiah. While desiring to respect the dignity and freedom of all people, we, in good conscience, must not waiver from the Biblical proclamation that there is no other Name by which one must be saved than that of God's only Son, Jesus of Nazareth. We are committed to provide many opportunities for all people to make the initial step of surrendering to Jesus, and to experience the ongoing work of working out our salvation through increased intimacy with Him.
The third pillar which God is establishing in our midst is Worship. We believe that all of life is to be lived worshiping God, returning to Him a portion of the love that He has so richly bestowed upon us. Primarily we are called to worship Him by giving ourselves as a living sacrifices. Corporate worship is very important in our life together, and our worship each Sunday is best described as that which Dr. Robert Webber calls blended worship. While most find our worship lively and uplifting, it is conducted within a liturgical setting that points towards Holy Communion. We seek to combine traditional music with the best of contemporary songs led by choir, worship teams, and talented musicians.
The fourth pillar is Healing. We are convinced that the fruit of God's salvation, worked out in each of us, is wholeness in Him. We are committed to ministries which assist us and others to enter fully into this wholeness. This includes one-on-one healing prayer, which is available at all principal services, at healing events such as The Journey to Wholeness in Christ (conducted here and elsewhere), and in personal prayer appointments. We want to encourage each person to grow into their full potential in Christ - in body, mind and spirit.
The fifth pillar is Prayer. We believe that the most effective weapon God has given us is prayer. Unless we undergird all that we do in prayer, we will never live into the full potential to which He is calling us. We have active intercessory prayer groups, an emergency phone prayer chain, and a gifted and committed healing prayer team. We truly desire that Christ Church would be the "house of prayer" that God desires.
The sixth pillar is Faith. We believe that without faith it is impossible to please God and that at the same time this faith is a gift from God. Our confidence is not in our faith but in the One who is faithful. It is our belief that the Bible also teaches that faith is a fruit of the Holy Spirit that grows within our hearts as we continue to yield our wills to Him and allow Him to have His way in and through us.
Although most of us once worshiped together in another setting, Christ Anglican Church is essentially a very new congregation, having been reorganized in October, 2000, as a member of the Anglican Mission in America. The Anglican Mission in America is a missionary movement of churches with an Anglican heritage that extends across the United States and is sponsored by Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini of Rwanda along with Bishop John Miller of the Anglican Mission in America. For more information on the Anglican Mission we encourage you to go to the Anglican Mission in America description on our website or to www.theamia.org.
We are very excited about all that God is doing in our midst. We sincerely invite you to come and share with us, worship with us, and be fed by God as He shares the blessings of His Presence in our life together.