Perfect for newcomers and confirmation classes The Episcopal Church has a language and a practice all its own. For a newcomer, these can seem intimidating at first glance. This book takes readers through a Sunday worship experience, and explains the what, the why, and the how of what they might encounter. Worship is explained, with a quick survey of the Book of Common Prayer, along with frequently encountered vocabulary. How we read the Bible and what we believe about core points of theology are also discussed, especially as these points may differ from what many people assume to be Christian norms. How faith is practiced and its connection to our social and moral lives is discussed. What is the Jesus Movement and how can the Way of Love be lived every day? Finally, a short overview of Episcopal history is included, for the visitor who wonders how we came to be here. The book concludes with a few of the most frequently asked questions by adults who join the Episcopal Church.
The perfect book for inquirers and new members, as well as current Church members who may be unfamiliar with some of the Church s history, beliefs, and practices. This new introduction to the history, polity, spirituality, worship, and outreach of the Episcopal Church is written in an easy-to-read conversational tone, and includes study questions at the end of each chapter, making it an excellent resource for adult parish study and inquirers' classes."
This guide for newcomers to the Episcopal Church is written and designed to provide accessible and user-friendly reading, with an easy-going look and style that's packed full of substance.
A tour through the dates, colors, and other traditions of the Church year. This third volume in the popular Morehouse series explains why we do what we do and when, and it does so in a user-friendly, thoroughly interesting way.
A foundational volume for seekers in formation programs and a “refresher” study volume for individuals and congregational study groups. We live in a world increasingly separated from the Christian tradition and the basic understanding of the faith that previous ages might have taken for granted. The voices of faith seem increasingly strident and off-putting to many. There is a need for a calmer, basic introduction to faith that recognizes the value of doubt and the questions raised in a secular society. A systematic introduction to Christianity for newcomers needs to begin with a discussion of faith itself and then move on to a discussion of such Christian basics as God, Trinity, Church, sin, atonement, prayer, and Christian living.
In the section entitled “Concerning the Service of the Church,” the Book of Common Prayer identifies the normative services of the Episcopal Church: The Holy Eucharist, the principal act of Christian worship on the Lord’s Day and other major Feasts, and Daily Morning and Evening Prayer, as set forth in this book, are the regular services appointed for public worship in the Church. (BCP, 13) Eucharistic propers (collects, Scripture readings, and proper prefaces) are provided in the Book of Common Prayer for the days when the Eucharist is the principal service. As celebration of the Eucharist has become more frequent, many congregations and other communities of faith now celebrate weekday Eucharists on days for which the Prayer Book does not assign propers. To facilitate the use of these authorized options, this resource contains weekday propers for the seasons of the Church Year (the temporal cycle), the Common of Saints (the sanctoral cycle), and Various Occasions from the Prayer Book and from resources authorized since the adoption of the Prayer Book. The propers in this resource are grouped into three sections by type for the temporal cycle, the sanctoral cycle, and various occasions.
Take a journey through The Book of Common Prayer, the Christian life, and basic beliefs of our faith, guided by two Episcopal priests - Scott Gunn and Melody Wilson Shobe. Walk through the liturgical year, the sacraments of the church, habits of daily prayer, and the teachings of Anglican Christianity. See how our prayer shapes our belief and our lives and how our beliefs lead us into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.
If you listen closely enough to teenagers, you’ll hear their deep yearning to connect with God, and a powerful instinct to belong. And you’ll find out right away the one thing they really hate—being preached to. Here in My Faith, My Life, teenagers learn all about the Christian faith they’ve been baptized into – and the Episcopal Church that offers them a spiritual home. With lively writing that’s always informative and never condescending, the book gives them all the basics they need to know to understand their faith – and claim it as their own. Closely linked to the Book of Common Prayer, My Faith, My Life covers everything from scripture, church history, and sacraments, to the meaning of prayer and ministry in the lives of real teens today. This is the essential handbook for teens in the Episcopal Church – an excellent resource for confirmation classes, youth study groups, and high school Christian education programs. Also available: A complete guide for Christian educators who are using My Faith, My Life as a confirmation resource for teenagers in the parish. It will contain detailed lesson plans, background information, suggestions, newsletter articles, and a wide variety of other materials to help teachers make the best use of My Faith, My Life. This leader guide will be a downloadable PDF for $5.95 from the Church Publishing website
New Episcopalians may be nervous about opening the Bible; others simply don't know how to begin. An often-overlooked gift of the Episcopal Church is that the texts and doctrines of the Bible are embedded in its prayers, liturgies, and creeds. Making that knowledge explicit and placing it in context can open the way for further and more in-depth study.
Issues of gender and sexuality are intrinsic to people’s experience: their sense of identity, their lives and the loving relationships that shape and sustain them. The life and mission of the Church of England – and of the worldwide Anglican Communion – are affected by the deep, and sometimes painful, disagreements about these matters, divisions brought into sharper focus because of society’s changing perspectives and practices, especially in relation to LGTBI+ people. Living in Love and Faith sets out to inspire people to think more deeply both about what it means to be human, and to live in love and faith with one another. It tackles the tough questions and the divisions among Christians about what it means to be holy in a society in which understandings and practices of gender, sexuality and marriage continue to change. Commissioned and led by the Bishops of the Church of England, the Living in Love and Faith project has involved many people across the Church and beyond, bringing together a great diversity and depth of expertise, conviction and experience to explore these matters by studying what the Bible, theology, history and the social and biological sciences have to say. After a Foreword from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the book opens with an invitation from the Bishops of the Church of England to embark on a learning journey in five parts: Part One sets current questions about human identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage in the context of God’s gift of life. Part Two takes a careful and dispassionate look at what is happening in the world with regard to identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage. Part Three explores current Christian thinking and discussions about human identity, sexuality, and marriage. In the light of the good news of Jesus Christ, how do Christians understand and respond to the trends observed in Part Two? Part Four considers what it means for us as individuals and as a church to be Christ-like when it comes to matters of identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage. Part Five invites the reader into a conversation between some of the people who have been involved in writing this book who, having engaged with and written Parts One to Four, nevertheless come to different conclusions. Amid the biblical, theological, historical and scientific exploration, each part includes Encounters with real, contemporary disciples of Christ whose stories raise questions which ask us to discern where God is active in human lives. The book ends with an appeal from the Bishops to join them in a period of discernment and decision-making following the publication of Living in Love and Faith. The Living in Love and Faith book is accompanied by a range of free digital resources including films, podcasts and an online library, together with Living in Love and Faith: The Course, a 5-session course which is designed to help local groups engage with the resources, also published by Church House Publishing.
