What we Believe
The ancient Faith once for all passed down to the saints
We Believe: Holy Scripture
The Holy Scriptures, commonly called the Old and New Testaments, are the word of God; containing all things necessary for life and salvation. Click the icon to the right to explore more.
We Believe: Holy Tradition
The Holy Spirit inspired the authors of Scripture and indwells the believing and baptized community; therefore, that community and its history of interpretation is how we understand the meaning of Scripture. Click the icon to the right to explore more.
We Believe: the Creeds
We are a creedal church. Meaning, we hold to the Christian faith that was once-for-all passed down to the saints and articulated in the ancient creeds.
We Believe: the Sacraments
“There is no inconsistency between creation and salvation,” said the 4th century Bishop Athanasius. Since we believe that God created all things and then saved that creation by taking on human flesh in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, it seemed a consistent thing for God to interact with His people through His creation. A sacrament means a mystery. The two main sacraments of the Church are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Eucharist) and they are called mysteries because we believe that God's grace interacts with us through these visible things: water, bread and wine. In the waters of baptism, God the Holy Spirit unites us to Jesus in His death and resurrection. And in the weekly Eucharist, we are united to Jesus continually so that we may enjoy the benefits of His resurrected life. Our salvation is our participation in Jesus's death and resurrection.
We Believe: What we Pray
The Liturgy is our most consistent and foundational prayer, and in it we pray the most fundamental and wonderful aspects of our faith: We remember Jesus's death, we proclaim His resurrection, we await His coming in glory. In the Divine Liturgy, every expression of prayer can be found by devout souls.
We Believe that God Transforms
We believe that God transforms his people through the opening of Scripture and the breaking of bread. Like the disciples on the Emmaus Road, we encounter Christ through these means.
“Whose heart has never been made to burn as the scriptures were opened to them? Therefore, the first of all our concerns is the distribution of the word."
St. Gregory of Nazianzus, 4th Century bishop