Our Beliefs & Heritage

The Episcopal Church (TEC) is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and shares Anglican “spiritual DNA” in theology and worship. We walk a middle way by sharing elements both of Catholicism and Protestantism in our beliefs and practices. A Christian denomination, TEC is made up of 108 dioceses and three mission areas in 22 countries or territories and is the only U.S.-based constituent church in the Anglican Communion. The Anglican Communion is the world’s third-largest association of Jesus followers with more than 1.5 million members. 

The Episcopal Church descends from and partners with the Church of England and the Scottish Episcopal Church. Our mission, found in the Book of Common Prayer’s catechism, is “to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.” TEC seeks to follow Jesus in ways that love all of creation to fulfill that mission.

Our core beliefs are expressed in the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, which we recite in our liturgy regularly. We believe in following Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection saved the world. We recommend The Book of Common Prayer as an excellent resource to learn more about our theology and worship. All are welcome here, along with their questions, doubts, convictions, and histories.

Our Worship

At St. Bede’s, we use the Bible, the Book of Common Prayer, and hymnals found in the pews during worship. We follow the page and hymn numbers in the paper bulletin to guide us as we read, pray, and sing as a community. Please feel free to participate to the extent you feel comfortable doing so.

Resources for Further Reading

+ Our Beliefs – from The Episcopal Church in Western Oregon

+ What We Believe – from The Episcopal Church

+ An Outline of the Faith (The Catechism) – from The Book of Common Prayer