Our Worship and Basic Beliefs

"A threefold cord is not quickly broken." (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

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At Church of the Resurrection, our worship combines the threefold cord of Christian Tradition: the Charismatic, the Evangelical, and the Sacramental.

 

Evangelical

... because it is grounded in the Holy Scriptures, which we believe to be the Inspired Word of God.  Every worship service includes at least three readings from the Scriptures, a psalm, and Biblically based preaching and teaching.  The focus of our worship is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, so that we can carry that Good News into the World.

Sacramental

... because our primary service is  Holy Communion, following the example of the Ancient Church, and the commandment of our Lord.  (All Baptized persons are welcome to partake of the Lord's Supper at Church of the Resurrection.) The Grace giving power of the Sacraments is assured because our Clergy are in Orders deriving from the first Apostles.

Charismatic

... because not only do we speak to God, in prayer, and in both Contemporary and Traditional song, we also give God the opportunity to speak to us through His special gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The CEC affirms the following essentials of the Christian faith:

  • Personal commitment to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. It is by faith in Him that we are saved by grace.
  • A high view of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the revealed Word of God, containing all things necessary for salvation. This is of critical importance in preaching, public reading of the Word, and personal Bible study.
  • The Apostles' and Nicene Creeds are sufficient statements of Christian faith. (See below.) These express our belief in one God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The creeds clearly proclaim the Gospel message and the Kingdom of God.
  • Openness to and anticipation of empowerment by the Holy Spirit.
  • A high view of the two Sacraments, Baptism and Holy Communion, which were ordained by Christ Himself. These are to be administered properly with the words and elements of Christ. Grace is imparted by the Spirit through these Sacraments.
  • A high view of the Church. St. Cyprian (A.D. 200-258, Bishop of Carthage, martyr) claimed, "He who has not the Church for his mother, has not God for his Father."
  • Affirmation of the Historic Episcopate, locally adapted in the methods of its administration to the varying needs of the nations and people called of God into His Church.

The Apostles' Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiven of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible; And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds,

God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried; and the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father; and he shall come again, with glory, to judge the living and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit the Lord, and Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who has spoken through the Prophets.

And we believe in one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church; we acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins; and we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.