A Community of Hope

As a church we are called first and foremost to be a community. We come as individuals but we do not become the Church until we join together with other Christ followers to form a community. The very word church comes from the Greek word, ekklesia which means gathering. The vast majority of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were written to a plural audience; God’s people gathered, be it in the nation of Israel or more broadly in the Church, His Body on Earth. The chief trait that marks this church community is Hope. Hope that Jesus Christ gives us that our present, short sighted vision and experience of life is not all that there is. Hope that we will one day share in His perfected glory and the hope that we can change for the better and begin reflecting that glory here and now.

Seeking the Father in worship, one another and the world

Our community experience is shared, and Christ’s transforming power is manifest, in these three particular areas. These are the building blocks that make up our DNA as a church as we seek to walk in the way of Jesus, fulfilling the summary of his teaching in his “great commandment” and “great commission.”

In worship we seek to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.” (Matthew 22.27) In our Sunday Worship we come intentionally into the Presence of Almighty God to offer Him our thanks for what He has done in the world and in us and to be fed by His Word and Sacraments. Through these means we are then encouraged, empowered and equipped to go out and worship God in the world He has made and the everyday of the lives He has given us. Worship is the very essence of the Church because it is worship alone among the activities of the Church which will last into eternity. While we lay great emphasis on our corporate worship, we are called to be a people who worship the Lord in everything, recognizing that “the whole earth is full of His glory.” (Isaiah 6.3) All we do is worship when done to honor God. As our lives become oriented around the total worship of God we are changed by His love and molded more into the people He created us to be.

Through intentional fellowship we seek to fulfill Christ’s call to, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22.29) We are not a Sunday morning only crowd. By developing intentional communities that seek God together and serve the world together we can develop the kinds of relationships which give us access to speak the Word of God into each others lives; to see where He is moving in the lives of our brothers and sisters and to name it. The Bible uses the imagery of iron sharpening iron to talk about the way we are refined by community. This is the hot crucible where Christ’s life-renovating work happens. And as it happens we see God’s glory reflected more and more in the faces of our community.

Finally, we seek to engage in the final work and mission that Jesus left for His followers when he said, “go and make disciples for me from all the peoples of the earth.”(Matthew 28.19) This means that we are constantly looking to see where God is moving in the world around us and to join Him in His work there. We are meant to proclaim the Good News of God’s Kingdom and of his reconciling Love through word and deed here in our community and throughout the world. In a sense all that we do as a church should be missional, or reaching out, in some way. While worship is the only activity of the Church that lasts into eternity, mission is the only activity that can only be done here and now. This is where we take the life changing work that Jesus is doing in our lives and share it with others, inviting them to come and be changed too and extend it to the world.

Engaging the Spirit’s transforming work

The Holy Spirit of God is alive and present in the life of the believer! We recognize that this journey of faith means that we cannot remain as we are. God takes us as we come…but He is most insistent that we not remain there. Following Jesus means a daily transformation as the Holy Spirit heals us from the wounds that have bound us and empowers us to break the habits of sin that we have allowed to hold sway in our lives. God’s vision of transformation is for the whole of his creation and not just for us as individuals. As men and women who have experienced this exciting work of the Holy Spirit first hand, we seek to share this good news of transformation with others as we share our lives with them and endeavor to see all of God’s works restored to their intended glory.

Journeying in the Way of Jesus

The dominant metaphor we choose to describe our community is that of journey or pilgrimage. It is a common theme throughout the Scriptures. God’s people the Israelites were taught to “walk in the way of Torah [God’s rules for living].” Likewise, the first Christians were called “followers of the Way.” When Jesus gathered his first disciples his invitation was simple, “Come follow me.” We are pilgrims on a journey down a specific path (the way of living life that Jesus talked about) and toward a specific destination – our true spiritual home in restored union with God in His Kingdom. None of us has “arrived” but we continue on together with the Holy Spirit as our guide and with one another as companions in this Way.

The Anglican Mission in the Americas

The Anglican Mission in America is a missionary movement of Rwanda committed to reaching the unchurched in North America.

The Anglican Mission exists to glorify God by building an alliance of congregations in North America committed to gathering, planting and serving dynamic churches in the Anglican tradition.

Our goal is reaching the 130 million un-churched in the U.S. and some 20 million in Canada with the transforming reality of Jesus Christ.

We are committed to evangelism through church planting, fulfilling Christ’s Great Commandment and Great Commission (GC)2 .

Frequently Asked Questions

How Should I dress to attend a worship gathering?

However you want. Some people wear jeans and others ‘dress up.’ We hope you’ll feel comfortable however you’re dressed.

What is your worship gathering like?

The basic pattern of our worship gathering is shared by millions of Christians all over the world. The service has two main sections. In the first, we read from the Bible, listen to a sermon, and pray.

In the second part of our worship, we receive Communion—that is, we eat a little bread and wine, the food from Jesus’ final meal on earth, as a way to celebrate that Jesus died and rose again for us.

Regardless of your church background, if you’re baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and are committed to following him, we’d love for you to share Communion with us. If you’re still finding your way back to God, during Communion there are several ways you can respond to God: reflect on what you’ve heard; pray; or ask someone to pray for you (simply walk over to one of the prayer ministers at the back of the worship space). You can also come forward at Communion with your arms crossed across your chest to receive a blessing from the priest.

Everything you need to participate in worship will appear on an overhead screen. We’ve taken away the awkward stress of fumbling around with Bibles, prayer and hymnbooks.

What kind of music do you have?

A variety. Some of it was written centuries ago—some of it was written this year. All of the words are on the overhead screen. If you aren’t comfortable singing you can always enjoy listening.

How long is the worship gathering?

Our worship usually lasts between an hour and 15 min. to an hour and a half. But it is very interactive with a lot of opportunities for movement mixed in.

What do you have for my children?

We welcome your children and celebrate them as members of the community. We have a Children’s Worship time during the sermon and prayers for kids K-4. There is also a nursery provided during this same time for infants and toddlers.