· HISTORY

· FACILITIES
      Chapel
      Parish Hall
      Ed. Buildings
      Thompson H.
      Cemetery

· POLICIES

· CLERGY & STAFF

· LAY LEADERS

· VESTRY MEETING MINUTES

· ANGLICAN FAITH

The Anglican Faith

The Episcopal Church is descended from the Church of England, and through the consecration of bishops, has roots all the way back to Jesus and His original followers. The Church of England developed during the 16th century; while it moved away from being overseen by the Pope, it did not reject its Catholic origins. Churches in the Anglican Communion, therefore, are both Protestant and Catholic and maintain traditions found in both of those branches of Christianity.

The Episcopal Church in the United States started in 1789 when members of the Church of England started an independent church in their new world. Today, there are more than 2.5 million members in 7,500 parishes and missions in the U. S. and more than 75 million people in the Anglican Communion.

Episcopalians believe in a Trinitarian God - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - who created us, redeems us, and never lets us go. We believe in the church as the body of Christ, one that is holy, catholic (or universal), and apostolic, continuing the teaching of Jesus through the apostles to this day. The Nicene Creed and the Apostles' Creed, found in The Book of Common Prayer, outline our beliefs. The Book of Common Prayer contains the prayers and liturgies used in worship by Episcopalians, historical documents, church calendar, the catechism which is a statement of what we believe, and the lectionary which is the schedule of Scripture readings used in the liturgy. More specific explanations of the beliefs of Episcopalians can be found in the catechism (or outline of faith) in The Book of Common Prayer.

The word "episcopal" comes from the Greek word episcope, which means "over-sight." The church is governed or "overseen" by bishops. Each individual church (called parish or mission) belongs to a larger governing area called a diocese, which is overseen by an elected bishop. In Mississippi, all of the Episcopal churches belong to the Mississippi Diocese. The dioceses within the U.S. and a few missionary dioceses in other countries are overseen by a specially elected bishop, called the Presiding Bishop. The governing body of the church is the General Convention which meets every three years.

Related Links

• The Book of Common Prayer
• Episcopal Church - the official site of the Episcopal Church in the U.S.
• Episcopal General Convention - news about the triennial meeting of the Episcopal Church
• Episcopal Publishing Ministries - an informal alliance of the four publishers affiliated with the Episcopal Church: Church Publishing Incorporated, Cowley Publications, Forward Movement Publications and LeaderResources.
• Episcopal Life - The Episcopal Church's award-winning national newspaper for all Episcopalians
• Episcopal News Service - stay up-to-date on the latest news
• Episcopal Relief and Development (formerly the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief)
• Episcopal Resource Center - check this site for more than 12,000 titles in stock from more than 200 publishers
• NAGA - the official site of the National Altar Guild Association
• Mississippi Diocese - the official site of the Mississippi Diocese of the Episcopal Church
• Anglicans Online
• Bible Gateway - Search for passages in the Bible.
• St. Andrews Bookstore - St. Andrew's Bookstore is a nonprofit Episcopal store located on the Cathedral grounds in downtown Jackson.