OUR COMMUNITY

We are a Christian community seeking to love our brothers and sisters as ourselves, to worship God as an enthusiastic community with all people of all ages and ethnicities fully participating in their own way, to grow as persons, increasing in knowledge and faith, to conduct our common life in the caring, trusting atmosphere of an extended family, to be God’s faithful servants, witnessing both individually and corporately to God’s transforming power, to proceed with openness, continually re-forming our goals and methods, to reach out to others to join in the mission of this church, and to use all of our resources for God’s work, seeking justice and peace in the world.

Recognizing that our Christian faith is the foundation of our values in human relationships, we seek to work together in the light of the gospel to define principles of human relationships and behavior that are based on relating to each other as whole persons, with love, responsibility, accountability, trust, and mutual nurturance.

OUR CALLING

TO PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL

to the unreached not in overbearing ways but sensitively lovingly, humbly, boldly, and passionately through God’s wisdom and strength.

TO CREATE OPPORTUNITIES

for our members to serve Christ according to the gifts and talents entrusted to each and every individual member.

In light of this mission, we, the members of Epiphany Community Church seek to be committed, guided and inspired by a unifying set of values:

OUR VALUES

Caring

We value caring – for ourselves, for each other, and for this place – and exhibit that caring through service to others.

Openness

We value open and honest communications that create an atmosphere of trust and an openness to change for the benefit of our Church community.

Diversity

We value diversity, appreciating our differences and ways of living and recognizing that our diversity is a source of strength. We value diversity through loving acceptance of one another.

Joy

We value laughter and play that enriches our worshipping experience

OUR BELIEFS

We agree on certain core beliefs, that is one of the reasons we gather to worship and to work, pursuing god's plan for this world.

The Bible

We believe that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God. We believe the Bible contains all the necessary truth to lead people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. It contains all that people in any age need to know for their salvation. We call the Bible God’s Word, believing that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, God speaks to us through this book.

The Trinity

We believe in one living God who has complete power and is wise, good and pure. We believe He is loving, forgiving and faithful. We believe God created all things. We believe this one God has three expressions: The Father (God), The Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. (John 1:1-2; 4:24; 5:18; 10:30)

Good work

We believe that even though we cannot earn God’s favor by good works, they are still pleasing to God and show evidence of true faith in God, and Jesus as Lord of their life. (Matthew 5:16; 7:16-20; Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16; James 2:18, 22)

Gift of gods

We believe that the Holy Spirit has spiritual gifts to all believers for the purpose of building up the body of Christ and bringing glory to God. The gifts are to be exercised in love and emphasize the need for unity (I Corinthians 12:4, 11, 18, 21- 25; Ephesians 4:11-16)

The Kingdom

Unlike nations on earth, God’s kingdom does not have defined borders. It is not restricted to a certain location, like a cathedral; nor can it be reduced to “religious” activity. By God’s kingdom we mean God’s sovereign rule, God’s sphere of influence. We believe that God’s Spirit is busy extending God’s rule all over creation.

God’s reign is evident in spiritual experiences of renewal and change. But it is also evident in God’s gracious upholding of creation day by day, season by season. God’s reign is evident anywhere God’s will is done—in actions, lives, technology, artistry, and institutions.

God calls each of us to participate in the spread of his kingdom. The whole world is a place where we can carry out the mission of restoring God’s creation.

Sacraments

We believe that God ordained two sacraments: The Lord’s Supper and Baptism. The Lord’s Supper is received in remembrance of Christ’s death for our sins; the bread representing His body and the wine, His blood. It is in remembrance of God’s love and grace toward us, and the love we must share with one another. (Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; I Corinthians 10:16) Baptism is an outward symbolic act signifying salvation and cleansing of sin. (Numbers 8:7; Mark 16:16; Acts 22:26).

We also believe in Confirmation, Penance, Orders, Matrimony, and Extreme Unction (Sacrament of the sick).

The Creeds

The creeds adopted by the worldwide church centuries ago summarize the most important tenets of our faith: the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed.

A quick look at the structure of the Apostles’ Creed reveals one of the bedrock truths of the Christian faith: the Trinity. The creed is divided into three parts: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. All Christians believe that the Bible reveals one God in three “persons.” In other words, God is a perfect community of love.

Sovereignty

We believe in God’s sovereignty. It’s all about God! We hold a very high view of God’s sovereignty: God’s plan, God’s will, God’s power. Everything that happens in the world, from the acts of nations to the faith of individuals, is ultimately under God’s sovereign control.

The Second Coming

We believe in the personal return of Jesus Christ to receive His believers into heaven and eternal life. The time of His return is unknown, but may be at any moment. This is the glorious hope of all God’s children. (John 14:1-3; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; James 5:7-8; Revelation 22:12, 20)

OUR STYLE

Anglicans express themselves in many ways throughout the world. Epiphany Community Church comes from the Evangelical tradition of the Anglican Church. This is defined in the following six distinctive:

1. The supreme authority of Scripture for knowledge of God and as guide to Christian living.

2. The majesty of Jesus Christ as incarnate God and Lord, and the savior of sinful humanity.

3. The lordship of the Holy Spirit.

4. The need for personal conversion.

5. The priority of evangelism for both individual Christians and for the Church as a whole.

6. The importance of Christian community for spiritual nourishment, fellowship and growth.

(See Alister E. McGrath, Evangelicalism and the Future of Christianity, Leicester: IVP, 1995, p. 51.).

When you come to Epiphany Community Church you will find our worship style to be informal, contemporary, respectful of tradition, liturgical and focused on Biblical teaching.

We are intentionally informal because we want our services of worship to be accessible to someone who has had no experience of coming to Church. When it comes to music our services seek to draw from the best of the old and the new hymns and songs that have been sung by Christians down through Christian history.

Our services are also liturgical, that is they have a purpose driven structure and content to them. So at each service we join together in a time of ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication)