Heritage
St Paul’s is part of the Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion, which is comprised of more than 80 million members in 44 regional and member churches in more than 160 countries. The Episcopal Church, originally part of the Anglican Church (Church of England), was established shortly after the American Revolution when Anglican clergy in America refused to swear allegiance to the British monarchy. Today, the Episcopal Church includes 110 dioceses in 17 nations and the territory of Puerto Rico.
The Episcopal Church traces its heritage to the beginnings of Christianity. Modern liturgy is still based on ancient structure and traditions. The Book of Common Prayer is used for worship. St Paul’s Episcopal Church adheres to Episcopal directives. We uphold the Bible. We believe in the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), repentance and the forgiveness of sin, and everlasting life. As followers of Christ, we celebrate our unity in him while honoring the diversity in our world. We strive to respect the dignity of each individual, always putting the work of love before uniformity of opinion. Our clergy teach and guide us according to scriptural guidelines and our lay members have a vital role in both the governance and the ministries of our church.
Outreach
Outreach is a major priority at St. Paul’s. We are very proud of our strong history of introducing pioneering social programs to the greater Mt Vernon community. Innovative programs were begun here in response to needs brought to our attention by individual parish members.
As the success of our initial efforts became evident, many programs were adopted by the community at large. Through individual initiative and the support of St Paul’s, these small steps have become the cornerstones for community enterprises such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Winter Sanctuary Emergency Homeless shelters, and Interchurch Social Services.
From the small seeds of faith and service carefully planted and gently nurtured at St Paul’s Episcopal Church, mighty oaks of outreach have grown to serve those in need among us. Our ever-changing outreach programs are living proof that one person with a willing heart can make a difference here.
