St. John's Episcopal Church

1219 Forest Hills Drive, Wilmington, NC 28403
Telephone: 910-762-5273 stjohn@stjohnsepiscopalchurch.net

Our Mission:
To proclaim God's love for the world as revealed by and through Jesus Christ, to witness to his love, and serve Him in our daily living

Home Directions What's Happening Spiritual Ministries Who We Are Calendar Monthly Schedule Sunday Readings Newsletter Ministry Team Sermons Episcopal Links

 

  What We Believe The Episcopal Church is a member of the world-wide Anglican Communion, with over 70 million members in 163 countries. In the Episcopal Church, we are called to live out our faith on a daily basis, whether we are at home, school, work or recreation. The cornerstones of our faith are Scripture, tradition and reason.

We live out these core beliefs through:

 

  • worship and parish programs
  • reaching out to the community
  • sharing our story with others
  • seeking God's love together in study and prayer
  • giving of our means and talents to the greater purpose of God's work

Our worship

In worship, we are united, acknowledging the holiness of God, to hear God's Word, to offer prayer and to celebrate God's presence among us. All are welcome to participate in our worship because it is in worship that we live out our life as a Christian family together. Scripture is the foundation of our worship. The service follows an order found in our worship book called the Book of Common Prayer, two-thirds of which is scriptural. Every worship service includes the reading of Holy Scripture from the Old and New Testaments. Many of our prayers and hymns are filled with Scripture. The Book of Common Prayer includes a variety of ancient and modern prayers and worship occasions for times when the whole community gathers, and for individual use. The Book of Common Prayer allows everyone to participate, reminding us that each person is an important part of the worship experience, whether the service is a celebration or a solemn occasion. It is a guide book for daily Christian living. Music, both traditional and contemporary, is an integral part of uniting our prayers and scripture.

Celebrating God's Presence

In our worship service, we celebrate God with us through water, bread and wine. Our Lord Jesus Christ tells us through baptism we are united with God. The Episcopal Church believes through baptism--in any Christian denomination--we become brothers and sisters in God's family. (If you are not baptized and wish to be, you may contact the church office for more information.) Jesus shared bread and wine with his first followers and is with us today in this family meal we call Holy Communion. Through it we receive the forgiveness of our sins and a strengthening of our union with God and one another as we remember Christ's life, death and resurrection. All baptized persons are welcome and encouraged to share in this meal.

Our Beliefs

We believe there is One God who creates all things, redeems us from sin and death, and renews us as the Children of God. As Episcopalians we promise to follow Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. We believe the mission of our church is restoration of all people to unity with God and each other in Christ. 

Answers to some common questions

Are you a Protestant Church?

Yes.  The word protestant began as a derogatory term used for those who were protesting abuses in the church of that day.    The word also means "to witness for" and reminds us that our church witnesses for Jesus in the world around us. 

As a Protestant Church we are not in communion with the Roman Catholic Church, though we wish to work for greater unity among all Christians and churches.

We believe that through a relationship with Jesus as our forgiver and leader that we come to salvation.  We also believe in the divine revelation of the Bible.

Are you a Catholic Church?

Yes.  The word catholic was described hundreds of years ago as "that which has been believed in all places, at all times, by all people."  The word catholic means what has always been believed as the essentials of Christian faith and practice.

We are not a part of the Roman Catholic Church, but we do strive to welcome their members into full communion with us.

More importantly, as a catholic church we believe there is a great value to the long-standing traditions and practices of Christians throughout time.  Among the central practices of a catholic church are the Sacraments.
 

Are you a Sacramental Church?

Yes. A sacrament is an outward and visible sign of the inward and spiritual gifts God offers us.  We accept as most important the sacraments of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist (also called Communion or The Lord's Supper).  

In Baptism we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and are adopted into God's family called the Church.  In Eucharist, we receive the bread and wine of communion which we believe is the body and blood of Jesus -- a way of knowing by faith that Jesus is truly with us and in union (communion) with us at that point in time.

Are you a Bible Church?

Yes. The Bible is a book that allows us to hear God's words to his people and their response to him.  We believe that all things you need for faith and salvation are in the Bible.  There's no secret knowledge you need outside of the Bible, and no additional truth that came later that is of the same value as the words of the Bible.

We also believe God has given us a mind, and wants us to use it, as we struggle to interpret, understand and apply the stories and teachings in the Bible to our everyday lives.