Dear Friends:

I write this as a special welcome. If you are reading this, then you have probably visited our parish recently, or you are visiting this website with the intention to visit us in-person soon; so let me take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about us.

We are a church that squarely stands in the tradition of the Episcopal Church. What does that mean? At the most basic level, it means that we are a church that seeks to live out – in a tangible and visible way – what we say we believe. We believe in grace; and so we strive to live in such a way that manifests forgiveness, restraint, and forbearance. We believe in God’s universal love for the world in Jesus Christ; and so we strive to manifest that love, however imperfectly, to all those whom we encounter. We are students of Christ’s love. We believe in the freedom of the Gospel; and so we strive to make oom for all who enter our doors – wherever they may be spiritually. We believe that God has given us minds to think and reason; and so we cherish the many ways we are given to deepen our faith and knowledge of God as revealed to us in Jesus Christ.

We are a church that has its roots in the past. We are a part of the worldwide Anglican Communion that traces its history to the sixteenth century, and before that to the Catholic and Orthodx churches. We do not discard the riches that have come down to us. Rather, we have the humility to recognize that we stand on the shoulders of giants and we gladly receive and embrace the insights of those faithful Christians who have gone before us. We honor those who, from the grand perspective of history, provide us with the wisdom otherwise inaccessible to us.

We are a church engaged with the present. We may hold fast to tradition, but it is one that is dynamic rather than static. We embrace the challenge of applying the wisdom of the ages to the modern world; which can be a daunting task, given the cultural and scientific shifts that have occurred even in the past fifty years.

Finally, we are a church that is preparing for the future. We recognize that if those who come after us are to carry the light of the Gospel, they must do so both faithfully and creatively into an unknowable and rapidly changing future. We take seriously the task of forming and equipping Christians for the work of ministry.

Please come and join us for this great adventure of faith! We are an active fellowship with many opportunities to serve and to make a difference in our own lives and in the lives around us… and to do so with joy and gladness!

In Christ’s love,
The Rev. Cn. James D. Shoucair, Rector