St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Beaumont, Texas

Loving God ~ Sharing Jesus ~ Rejoicing in the Spirit All are welcome here! What is an Episcopalian? The word “Episcopal” refers to government by bishops. The historic episcopate continues the work of the first apostles in the Church, guarding the faith, unity and discipline of the Church, and ordaining men and women to continue Christ’s ministry. An Episcopalian is a person who belongs to the Protestant Episcopal Church, the branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion in the United States. As Episcopalians, we believe: The Holy Scriptures are the revealed word of God, which inspired the human authors of the Scripture, and which is interpreted by the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. (www.biblegateway.com) The Nicene Creed is the basic statement of our belief about God. It was adopted in the 300s by the early church founders and is said every Sunday in Episcopal and Anglican churches around the United States and world.. (http://www.creeds.net/ancient/nicene.htm): The two great sacraments of the Gospel, given by Christ to the Church, are Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. In Baptism we renounce Satan, repent of our sins, and adopt Jesus as our Lord and Savior. In the Holy Eucharist, the center of our worship life, we remember and participate in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ until his coming again. Catechism: (http://www.bcponline.org) The teachings and beliefs of the Episcopal Church are articulated in this "Outline of the Faith." It is designed in a question and answer format. We have a vibrant and growing youth and children’s ministry centered on God’s love for all age levels. Program leadership includes paid staff persons who will provide direct Spirit-enabled ministry to youth and children and effective leadership to lay volunteers. Our Worship is based on traditional Anglican theology and liturgy, meaningful to all of God's children, offering a diversity of liturgical and musical styles. Outreach is local, national and international in scope, where members of the Parish are given specific opportunities to engage in “hands on" ministry where we serve others as Christ called us to do by meeting physical, emotional and spiritual needs. We have varied opportunities for interesting, informative and practical Christian Education and Bible Study for every age group to meet the needs of the participants. We are called into community where we care for and celebrate our love and compassion for each other. We do this through intentional opportunities for fellowship, sharing of our talents, and participation in church activities.