You
Before we get to us, let's talk about you. You don't have to believe anything on this page in order to visit with us.
We don't always believe everything here either -- that's why we gather in community. We support each other, ask questions, & hash it out together.
You are a beloved child of God. You don't even have to believe that for it to be true. There is no in or out, no preferring some people over others, no chosen few, and no not being good enough for God's love. You already have it. So there :-P
Us
The Sanctuary is a ministry partnership of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) & the Episcopal Church (TEC). The ELCA is a mainline Christian denomination that follows the teachings of Jesus Christ, guided by what we read in scripture added guidance from the writings of Martin Luther, Philip Melancthon and other reformation (and modern) theologians. The ELCA affirms the full inclusion of women and LGBTQ people in ministry, and so do we. Our primary emphasis is on God's loving grace as shown through Jesus Christ.
The Episcopal Church is a people grounded in Scripture, tradition, and reason (human experience and the sciences), following Jesus Christ as Savior. We are bound together by the promises we make in baptism, including the promise to work for justice and peace for all people and the promise to respect the dignity of every human being, and by common worship in the Book of Common Prayer. We are a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion. We affirm the full belovedness and inclusion of LGBTQI people and women in all sacraments, including ordination.
Who is God?
God is the creator of all that is; God is the ground of being. God came to us in the form of Jesus Christ and dwells with us still in the form of the Holy Spirit. God inspires our lives and calls us to serve God by loving our brothers and sisters and caring for creation.
Who is Jesus?
We believe Jesus was and is the only son of God. In Jesus, God broke through into our world to understand more about human life, to truly know our pain and sorrows, our joys and successes. Jesus' life as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, is both an example of how to live as a person deeply connected to God, other people and all of creation and an example of God's love for us. Jesus came so that we might have life, and have it abundantly. Through Jesus' death on the cross, God put an end to the calls for sacrifice and violence as a way to appease God and shows creation that no matter what we do, we are still loved.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is how God remains present in our lives after Jesus returned to God. She inspires us, moves us, and connects us to one another and to God.
What is the Bible?
The Bible is one of the resources we use to guide our lives of faith. As Lutheran & Episcopalian Christians, we believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God. It is a collection of stories of God's people and how they saw God acting in their lives and the lives of others. As it was written, edited, compiled and translated by humans who were products of their time and place and likely had their own agendas, there is bias, sometimes it contradicts itself, and it can get real weird. When we read the Bible, we consider the context of those involved in passing the stories down to us when we apply Biblical teaching to our own lives. Even with the mess, the contradiction and the weirdness, God is present in the Bible and is present with us when we read scripture. The Bible is one of the tools we use to understand who God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are, how they have acted in history, and how they are still active in the world (and our lives) today.
What is sin?
A lot of people don't like the word sin. This is understandable, as it is often hurled at people as some kind of weapon. Really, sin is all of the ways we put ourselves before God, one another, and creation. We all do it, we all try not to. Martin Luther said that we are all simultaneously sinners and saints. We are all whole and broken, pretty and ugly, mean and kind. It's all a jumble in there. Jesus came to show us a way of life that was without sin -- entirely focused on God and God's mission on Earth. Because we are human, we'll never get it all the way right, and God loves us even though we will always mess up. Because of the radical love, grace, & forgiveness God shows us, we are called to try, try, and try again to love God and our neighbor perfectly. If you mess it up, no worries. You are loved. Always.
Want to know more?
If you have more questions about what we believe, come to worship with us or contact our pastors or our peer ministers for a chat. Their information can be found here.
Before we get to us, let's talk about you. You don't have to believe anything on this page in order to visit with us.
We don't always believe everything here either -- that's why we gather in community. We support each other, ask questions, & hash it out together.
You are a beloved child of God. You don't even have to believe that for it to be true. There is no in or out, no preferring some people over others, no chosen few, and no not being good enough for God's love. You already have it. So there :-P
Us
The Sanctuary is a ministry partnership of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) & the Episcopal Church (TEC). The ELCA is a mainline Christian denomination that follows the teachings of Jesus Christ, guided by what we read in scripture added guidance from the writings of Martin Luther, Philip Melancthon and other reformation (and modern) theologians. The ELCA affirms the full inclusion of women and LGBTQ people in ministry, and so do we. Our primary emphasis is on God's loving grace as shown through Jesus Christ.
The Episcopal Church is a people grounded in Scripture, tradition, and reason (human experience and the sciences), following Jesus Christ as Savior. We are bound together by the promises we make in baptism, including the promise to work for justice and peace for all people and the promise to respect the dignity of every human being, and by common worship in the Book of Common Prayer. We are a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion. We affirm the full belovedness and inclusion of LGBTQI people and women in all sacraments, including ordination.
Who is God?
God is the creator of all that is; God is the ground of being. God came to us in the form of Jesus Christ and dwells with us still in the form of the Holy Spirit. God inspires our lives and calls us to serve God by loving our brothers and sisters and caring for creation.
Who is Jesus?
We believe Jesus was and is the only son of God. In Jesus, God broke through into our world to understand more about human life, to truly know our pain and sorrows, our joys and successes. Jesus' life as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, is both an example of how to live as a person deeply connected to God, other people and all of creation and an example of God's love for us. Jesus came so that we might have life, and have it abundantly. Through Jesus' death on the cross, God put an end to the calls for sacrifice and violence as a way to appease God and shows creation that no matter what we do, we are still loved.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is how God remains present in our lives after Jesus returned to God. She inspires us, moves us, and connects us to one another and to God.
What is the Bible?
The Bible is one of the resources we use to guide our lives of faith. As Lutheran & Episcopalian Christians, we believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God. It is a collection of stories of God's people and how they saw God acting in their lives and the lives of others. As it was written, edited, compiled and translated by humans who were products of their time and place and likely had their own agendas, there is bias, sometimes it contradicts itself, and it can get real weird. When we read the Bible, we consider the context of those involved in passing the stories down to us when we apply Biblical teaching to our own lives. Even with the mess, the contradiction and the weirdness, God is present in the Bible and is present with us when we read scripture. The Bible is one of the tools we use to understand who God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are, how they have acted in history, and how they are still active in the world (and our lives) today.
What is sin?
A lot of people don't like the word sin. This is understandable, as it is often hurled at people as some kind of weapon. Really, sin is all of the ways we put ourselves before God, one another, and creation. We all do it, we all try not to. Martin Luther said that we are all simultaneously sinners and saints. We are all whole and broken, pretty and ugly, mean and kind. It's all a jumble in there. Jesus came to show us a way of life that was without sin -- entirely focused on God and God's mission on Earth. Because we are human, we'll never get it all the way right, and God loves us even though we will always mess up. Because of the radical love, grace, & forgiveness God shows us, we are called to try, try, and try again to love God and our neighbor perfectly. If you mess it up, no worries. You are loved. Always.
Want to know more?
If you have more questions about what we believe, come to worship with us or contact our pastors or our peer ministers for a chat. Their information can be found here.