​St. James Memorial Episcopal Church is a member of the Episcopal Church,
part of the historic, global Anglican Communion.

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The Episcopal Church

The Episcopal Church welcomes all who worship Jesus Christ, in 109 dioceses and three regional areas in 17 nations. The Episcopal Church is a member province of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

The mission of the church, as stated in the Book of Common Prayer’s catechism (p. 855), is "to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ."

The 2012 General Convention established the Anglican Communion Five Marks of Mission as a mission priority framework for the 2013-2015 triennium: 

• To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
• To teach, baptize and nurture new believers
• To respond to human need by loving service
• To seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation
• To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth

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The Anglican Communion

The Anglican Communion is the gathering of Anglican and Episcopal churches from around the world. Today, the Anglican Communion comprises more than 80 million members in 44 regional and national member churches in more than 160 countries.

The Episcopal church is part of the Anglican Communion, and is comprised of 109 dioceses in 16 nations.

At the head of the Anglican Communion is the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.

The Episcopal church, established shortly after the American Revolution, has its roots in the Anglican Church. The Anglican Church, known as the Church of England, had a strong following in colonial America. But when the colonies won their independence, the majority of America’s Anglican clergy refused to swear allegiance to the British monarch as was required. As a result, the Episcopal Church was formed.

Through the Anglican Communion we trace our heritage back to the beginnings of Christianity.

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Some Distinctives

• As Episcopalians, we are followers of Jesus Christ, our Lord, and believe in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
  
• We believe in amendment of life, the forgiveness of sins, and life everlasting. 
• We strive to love our neighbors as ourselves and respect the dignity of every person. 
• Our liturgy retains ancient structure and traditions, and is celebrated in many languages.
• We welcome men, women, married or celibate, to be ordained as bishops, priests, and deacons.
• Lay people exercise a vital role in the governance and ministry of our Church. 
• Holy Communion may be received by all, not only members of the Episcopal Church.
• We uphold the Bible and worship with the Book of Common Prayer.
• We affirm that committed relationships are lifelong and monogamous. Episcopalians also recognize that there is grace after divorce and do not deny the sacraments to those who have been divorced. 
• We affirm that issues such as birth control are matters of personal informed conscience. 
• We celebrate our unity in Christ while honoring our differences, always putting the work of love before uniformity of opinion.
• All are welcome to find a spiritual home in the Episcopal Church.

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