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What We Believe
Christianity
The Episcopal Church is a Christian Church. We are also a Reformed Church, born of the English Reformation. We believe that Jesus Christ died for the forgiveness of our sins and rose again in order to win for us victory over death. We are grounded in Scripture, Tradition and Reason. We believe that we are on a spiritual journey to discover what God would have us know and experience along the way, and that one day we will share in the eternal banquet prepared for us in heaven
The Episcopal Church is a liturgical (li.tur'.ji'kl) church, which means that we follow an historical order for our worship services, as well as the various seasons and colors of the Church Year. We celebrate holy days such as Christmas, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter and others. We observe the seasons of Advent (blue), Christmas (white), Epiphany (green), Lent (violet), Easter (white) and Pentecost (green).
Community Outreach
Christ Church is active in the community to serve the needs of our neighbors. We support the Loaves and Fishes food pantry with both food and volunteers, Greene Square Meals, Helping Hands ministries, a prison ministry at the Reformatory in Anamosa, the Henry Davison Youth Center and many, many other outreach efforts.
Divorce and Re-Marriage
In the Episcopal Church, Holy Matrimony is a sacramental rite and something the couple should consider thoughtfully and prayerfully. Because we humans are imperfect, however, vows made at the altar sometimes don't last a lifetime. And although divorce is a tragic, painful and sad event, it does not prevent you from re-marrying. We believe God intends for people to live with a spouse in peace and joy, with the love and support of a community of faith.
Doubts
At Christ Church, we realize that it is not always possible to be fully confident of a certain belief, and that in fact we do at times doubt God, doubt our faith, doubt our ability to live out that faith. We also trust that God is understanding of our human frailties, and will lead us out of confusion into a new understanding and enlightenment.
Ecumenicalism
Christ Church is eager to share ideas, ministry efforts and ourselves with other Christian churches. We are a member of Churches United, with two of our members serving on the Board of Directors, and we support their website. The Episcopal Church has altar and pulpit fellowship with the Lutheran Church ELCA. This means we fully share in worship experiences, with Lutheran pastors and Episcopal priests free to take each other's place. Episcopalians are free to worship in any church, and welcome others seeking a deeper relationship with God to join us in worship.
Environmentalism
At Christ Church we take our responsibility to care for God's creation very seriously. We recycle paper, glass and plastic. We use electricity for comfort but not excessively. We strive to maintain our heating and cooling systems for maximum energy efficiency. The flowers provided for our altar each weekend are shared with our hospitalized and homebound members and friends. We also work at making our grounds pleasing, with gardens to honor God.
Evangelism
The one thing Christ Church people are is respectful of your privacy. We don't come calling at your home without an invitation. We won't pressure you to become a member. We will, however, welcome you as a guest and want to get to know you a little better. People tell us we're a friendly bunch, and that we are. We want everyone to be comfortable.
Homosexuality
At Christ Church we try very hard not to judge others or to dictate how someone else should live their lives or express their love. We believe that God created all human beings in a divine image, and that we are commanded by God to love our neighbors as ourselves. We honor God by honoring the image of God in each other.
The Human Condition
The Catechism says that we are created in the very image of God, yet because we make wrong choices, we distance ourselves from God. Our hope, however, is in God: in the Person of Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection, we are "freed from the power of sin and reconciled to God." (Catechism)
Inter-Faith Relations
Christ Church is active in inter-faith activities, believing that active dialogue brings about better understanding of our own faith and that of others, and releases us all from the us/them mindset.
The Saints
The Episcopal Church has set aside days to remember saints, doctors of the Church, pastors, missionaries, priests, bishops and others during the year. At Christ Church we have the opportunity to join those celebrations using specific prayers and Bible readings. Check the Document Library (Collects) for these resources.
Sanctity of Life
At Christ Church we honor the sanctity (holiness) of life. For instance, we mourn an abortion, but many of us will uphold a woman's right to a legal and medically-safe procedure. We also support that woman following her decision, so that she is not alone with any feelings of remorse, grieving or guilt, natural feelings following an abortion.
Many of our members also oppose the death penalty and euthanasia. These are all, however, areas in which we, as individuals within a community of faith, may agree to disagree. We believe honest dialogue in a calm and respectful setting is a good tool for learning more about ourselves and each other.
Spiritual Gifts
The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit gives each Christian the gifts necessary for them to help the Body of Christ function in both glorifying and praising God, and in reaching out into the community to spread the Gospel message. We encourage individuals to explore their giftedness and find ways in which they can most effectively express their gifts.
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