Life at St. Aidan’s
Annual Mass on the Grass
”But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you.
Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this?
In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind. “(Job 12:7-10)
The people of St. Aidan’s are hardworking, faithful and boldly visionary. We are unafraid to step into new territory, if we feel it will meet the requirements of Jesus Christ: to love God with heart, soul and mind and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We’re like family in that we watch out for each other and try to help bear each other’s pain, while entering into the delight of each other’s joys. We find ways to celebrate with each other in many ways, while honoring the needs of some to walk the way in quiet and solitude.
WHAT WE BELIEVE: THE EPISCOPAL WAY from The National Episcopal Church and Presiding Bishop Michael Curry.
Bishop Michael Curry
the most rev. michael curry,
Presiding bishop
“As the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement, we dream and work to foster Beloved Communities where all people may experience dignity and abundant life and see themselves and others as beloved children of God. The Becoming Beloved Community Vision Document and accompanying resources help us to understand and take up the long-term commitments necessary to form loving, liberating and life-giving relationships with each other. Together, we are growing as reconcilers, justice-makers, and healers in the name of Christ.”
“We Episcopalians believe in a loving, liberating, and life-giving God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As constituent members of the Anglican Communion in the United States, we are descendants of and partners with the Church of England and the Scottish Episcopal Church, and are part of the third largest group of Christians in the world.
We believe in following the teachings of Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection saved the world. We have a legacy of inclusion, aspiring to tell and exemplify God’s love for every human being; women and men serve as bishops, priests, and deacons in our church. Laypeople and clergy cooperate as leaders at all levels of our church. Leadership is a gift from God, and can be expressed by all people in our church, regardless of sexual identity or orientation. We believe that God loves you – no exceptions.” https://www.episcopalchurch.org/what-we-believe
NO EXCEPTIONS AT ST. AIDAN’S
At St. Aidan’s, like many churches, we are concerned with the state of the world and the many challenges it faces, working to make sense of it through the teachings of the Gospel, in our prayer life, and preaching. Our response to what we see happening in the world is to do the very best we can to create a haven of peace-filled and loving support for all who seek it. Far from keeping our heads in the sand, we believe in providing a healthy antidote to hatred and misunderstanding by providing a safe place to express one’s own faith journey, through whatever means makes sense to each. Following the Book of Common Prayer, set down in the 16th Century by Thomas Cranmer, we join a community of the faithful now 85 million strong throughout the world. And, while we are guided by the principles of the Gospel and by the traditions of the Episcopal Church, we allow everyone to find their way with us, through scripture, tradition and reason and through education, information, and participation, as well as communal or personal ministry.
Our ministries range from traditional food ministries, to ministries involving the arts and music, meditation and education. In the tradition of our patronal saint, Aidan, we find ourselves led to ministries that are outward-looking, serving the community in whatever ways hospitable outreach is sought after and needed, and by careful stewardship of the land, nurturing it and providing safe habitat for all creatures great and small. All new ministries are welcome!
SPECIAL SERVICES IN COMMUNITY:
St. Francis Day and the Blessing of the Animals
Rogation Day and the Beating of the Bounds
Advent
Christmas
Epiphany
Holy Week Services
Eastertide
Floral Mass
Pentecost
St. Aidan’s Day Mass on the Grass
Prayer:
Life Giving God, te world lies open before you and you summon the day to dawn.
Open our being and we shall show life.
Open our hearts and we shall show love.
Open our mouths and we shall show praise. Amen.
The St. Aidan’s Beloved Community
Other Congregations:
In addition to St. Aidan’s, three other congregations worship in our sanctuary:
Kingdom Harvest Ministries is an evangelical Liberian congregation who worship on Sundays at noon
Kingdom Christian Fellowship Church is a Micronesian congregation, worshiping on Sundays at 3:00 p.m.
St. Antonious Egyptian Coptic Orthodox church worhips on Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m., Fridays at 4:00 p.m., and Saturdays at 6:00 p.m.
We are also home to Sunshine Adult Day Care Services (East Side Day Care), serving the Ukrainian community Tuesday-Thursday, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.