|
|
Frequently Asked Questions...
What makes the Anglican Church different?
Anglicans believe the Holy Bible to be the inspired word of God, and
to contain all things necessary to our salvation. We adhere to the
Nicene and Apostles’ Creeds as basic statements of Christian belief.
We recognize the sacraments of Baptism and the Holy Communion as the
church’s two fundamental sacraments. We also adhere to the historic
episcopate, that is, the continuity of the line of bishops since the
time of Christ. We are a liturgical church, a church that has a range
of ordered, traditional services that have proven to encourage
involvement, accentuate attention to the Word of God, and build on the
richness that is Christ.
For many years the Episcopal Church in the United States carried on
the Anglican traditions here. However, for many Anglicans, the
Episcopal Church has moved away from both Scripture and tradition over
the past 25 years. Those traditions and that scriptural focus is being
continued, however, by the Anglican Church of the Valley and a
growing, national network of continuing Anglican churches, churches
increasingly a part of the Anglican Church in North America or
affiliated with more orthodox and traditional Anglican Provinces in
areas outside the United States.
NEW - "Why Anglicanism?" - A unique
booklet containing the thoughts of Anglican Church leaders about the
nature of Anglicanism and its future.
Download
here in PDF format.
Where did the Anglican Church come from?
The Anglican Church and its worldwide communion sprang from the Church
of England centuries ago, a church formed perhaps for political
reasons, that then worked hard to follow many ancient Christian and
Catholic traditions, but with a spirit of reason and acceptance
essential to a – then – national church. The Anglican Church does
maintain an episcopate, or unbroken string of bishops all the way back
to the time of Christ. Essentially Anglicans uphold the Catholic and
Apostolic faith and follow the teaching of Jesus Christ as revealed in
Holy Scripture and the Catholic creeds, and interpret these through
our faith, reason and scripture. The spiritual leader of the worldwide
Anglican Communion is the Archbishop of Canterbury, although
individual Provinces have distinct legal structures and may see slight
variances in tradition.
Who can attend Anglican Churches?
Anyone! You don’t need to be an Anglican, or even a Christian to join
us as we all explore what God has to say to us. The Holy Eucharist or
Lord’s Supper, a ceremony conducted at most of our services, is open
to all baptized Christians of any denomination. To anyone not baptized
who would like to know more about baptism and what it means to be
Christian, just ask any of us, or our minister. We are all exploring
God’s world and his relationship with us. You are welcome on our
journey.
The Anglican Church of the
Valley is open to all who wish to worship God using the beautiful
liturgies and scripture-based traditions of the Anglican Church.
Who leads services at the Anglican Church of
the Valley?
Most services feature the Eucharist or Holy Communion. Such
services are led by an ordained priest (who may also be called a
minister or pastor). Priests may wear vestments, or simply a “stole”
or scarf-like formal piece of cloth around their neck. It is a symbol
of their priestly vocation. Clergy frequently also have the
“backwards” collar. You can call an Anglican priest “Father,” or
“Reverend,” or just “Mister.” You can also call him by his first name.
Occasionally the ACOTV may have a service without clergy, Morning
Prayer without Eucharist. In those cases the man or woman
who leads the service is a lay member of the parish.
Why attend the Anglican Church, or any church?
Can’t I be a Christian in private?
No one ever said faith was easy. In our world with its focus on the
material and the senses, it is difficult to stand alone and keep our
awareness of God and his wishes for us foremost in our minds. Being
part of a church is simply being a part of a community where we all
can work and explore our faith together.
Why do I have to be part of a certain
church and go to routine Sunday services?
Services don’t have to be routine, or on Sunday. But there are three
traditional reasons for being a part of a church, and attending
services. The first is worship. By formally getting together to
worship God, we not only recognize that He deserves our respect and
love, we assemble in a group to reinforce our faith and joyfully
recognize that we are not alone in our love of and need for God. The
second reason for being a part of a church and its services is
teaching, and learning. Scripture and time-proven prayers are read to
us in a service, sermons and insights may be offered, and we learn new
ways to relate our Christian faith to real life. It simply allows us
to exchange ideas, to gain perspectives and understanding in ways we
cannot do alone. The third reason for being part of a church is
fellowship. Christians are a community of people with common goals.
Working together we can accomplish more than we can alone, in
supporting each other and our community. And, frankly, we like hanging
out together.
How is
the Anglican Church of the Valley connected to the Anglican Communion?
The Anglican Church of the Valley Inc. is a member of the
Anglican Diocese
of the Mid-Atlantic, a diocese of the
Anglican Church in North America.
The Anglican Church in North America unites more than 100,000
Anglicans in nearly 1,000 congregations across the United States and
Canada into a single Church. It is a Province-in-formation in the
global Anglican Communion.
The Anglican Church in North America was initiated at the request
of the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCon) in June 2008 and
formally recognized by the GAFCon Primates – leaders of Anglican
Churches representing more than 70 percent of the active Anglicans
globally – on April 16, 2009.
How can I find out more about The Anglican
Church of the Valley?
Ask. The Anglican Church of the Valley is a fairly new church formed
in 2007 to continue the worship, traditions and Scriptural focus of
the Anglican Communion here in the Shenandoah Valley. Its members are
enthusiastic about our church, its reality and its future. We will be
delighted to share with you what we are doing, and what being an
Anglican means.
How do I get in touch with the Anglican
Church of the Valley?
You can email us at
information@anlicanchurchofthevalley.org
Or call Roger Cooper, Senior Warden – 540-337-1944. Our
webmaster is
Doug Cochran. You can
email him or call him at 540-337-4682
|
