Who We Are and What We Do

Anglican Links

All Saints, just as other Anglican churches, fulfills three important purposes. Worship is one of them. We don't worship God because we have to, or because we're afraid of what God might do to us if we don't. We worship God because we believe that God fully deserves our respect and love. Worshipping God is very appropriate behavior for humans, whom He created.

The second purpose of the Church is teaching. Partly this is something we provide for each other. Passages from the Bible are read out in church, and sermons comment and enlarge on them and relate them to the lives of Christians today. Christians use what they learn to improve their own lives and share the good news with others.

Our third purpose is fellowship. Our common goals, as a community of people, are to support and strengthen each other each other as we share our experience of God with all we meet.

Everyone is welcomed at an Anglican service. In fact, you do not need to be a Christian to attend. Come and learn about God and become a Christian at your own pace. Dress any way you choose; we don’t have a dress code. We don’t charge a fee to belong, although we do offer you many opportunities to contribute to show your gratitude for what God has given you and to help others who may be less fortunate.

Congregational participation in an All Saints service is easy. The order and words of the service are provided in a handout. This information is from the Book of Common Prayer. The songs are also in on accompanying song sheet. Furthermore, someone will always be available to assist you.

The core of many Anglican services is Holy Communion, also known as the Holy Eucharist. This is the act of worship given by Jesus at his supper with his followers on the night before his arrest and execution. Christians believe that this act of worship creates a special union with Christ, imparting to them the benefits of his saving death and helping to strengthen them for Christian service and witness in the world. Holy Communion involves the giving out of bread and wine which has been consecrated, or made holy, with special prayers. Normally the congregation walks up to the front of the church and receives the bread from the priest in cupped hands. The chalice, the ceremonial goblet containing the wine, is usually administered by an assistant, called a chalice bearer, or by a deacon. When Communion is offered, you are welcomed to receive if you are a baptized Christian. Otherwise, just stay in your seat until others finish, or you may come forward with arms crossed over your chest to receive a blessing from the priest.

If you like who we are and what we do, we invite you to become a fully functioning member of our congregation. This is accomplished via Baptism, and Confirmation. Baptism is rite of initiation into th Church. Through baptism a person is united with Christ in his death and resurrection, receiving forgiveness of sins, and receives the Hoy Spirit to become a child of God. At All Saints, the action of baptism involves the pouring of water on the head with prayer in the pattern given by Jesus to his disciples. It is usually performed for all new babies of members. However, if adults have not been baptized, this is done prior to confirmation. Confirmation is a reaffirmation of the vows of baptism, made when we're old enough to know what we're doing. At confirmation the bishop prays for the release of the power of the Holy Spirit to enable the Christian to live a holy life of witness to Christ. You can take part in most of the activities of the Church without going through either of these procedures, and there are no rules about how soon, or how late, you should make a formal commitment.