Questions you might have about the Episcopal Ministry at MSU
are asked and answered below.
Q. Do students get dressed up for church?
A. No way. Since we are a student group, we are usually
very casual. When it's warm outside, most of us will be wearing t-shirts
and shorts. Students wear jeans when it is colder out. You will not be
out of place if you just come as you are.
Q. As a newcomer, will I stand out at church?
A. We usually have between 28 and 38 students at our regular
Sunday night service. Since we have a large group, you will absolutely
not stand out in the service. We want you to feel comfortable worshipping
with us and becoming a part of our community at your own pace.
Q. Do I have to be Episcopalian or Anglican to come to church?
A. Not at all! We welcome everyone to come worship with
us. Our bulletins will help guide you through our service even if you have
never been to an Episcopal service before. If you are looking for an open-minded
Christian community at MSU, please come try us out. You
might check out this page if you would like to learn more about what Episcopalians
and Anglicans believe.
Q. Aren't Episcopalians the same as Roman Catholics?
A. Well, yes and no. We profess the Catholic faith of the
apostles and the early church fathers, we have the sacraments, and our
liturgy is similar. But
we have different understandings of the nature of authority in the church
which is at the root of all our other differences. We do perceive
ourselves to be catholic, but not Roman Catholic.
Q. Are Episcopalians Born Again?
A. Yes we are; over and over and over again.
But many or even most Episcopalians are not "born again" in the sense
of a sudden, one time experience (although some Episcopalians have had
these experiences). Anglican spirituality is an evolving spirituality with
ancient roots, so we tend to speak of a lifelong journey walking in the
way of Jesus Christ. We see all of our lives as a constant striving
to accept and follow Christ through corporate worship, the sacraments,
private prayer, and works of love and mercy. Thus, we are constantly
being born again, but not in the same way that believers in the Pentecostal
or evangelical branches of Christianity use the term.
Another reason why we say that Anglicans are born again over and over
is because of how we routinely renew our baptismal vows each time we witness
another being baptized (Book of Common Prayer, p. 302-303). At those times
we renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness that separate us from God,
the evil powers of this world that destroy and corrupt the creatures of
God, and the sinful desires that draw us from the love of God. Moreover,
we affirm that we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, that we put
our whole trust in his grace and love, and promise to follow him as Lord.
We are always striving to renounce evil and accept Christ and we believe
that this is the work of an entire lifetime. However, this does not negate
or diminish the fact that some Anglicans have, indeed, had sudden powerful
conversions to Christ. But we would say that the process of conversion,
having begun in a sudden and dramatic way, must continue for the rest of
one's life. It must be added that we honor and respect those who
have felt a sudden and dramatic conversion. It's just that we do
not require such a conversion.
Q. Do I have to believe in everything that Episcopalians
believe?
A. Absolute faith is not a requirement in our Church. An
open heart and an open mind are. We have no "dogma" and everyone is welcome. Come join us no matter
where you are on your spiritual journey. You will never be asked what you
believe or be put on the spot about your beliefs. You will find that many
of us have different beliefs about, to cite just one example, how literally
to interpret the Bible. There is room in the Episcopal Church for people
with diverse approaches to a variety of issues. What holds us together
is our common worship and our dedication to searching how to be faithful
to Jesus' command that we love one another as he loves us.
Q. What are Sunday nights like?
A. On Sundays we gather at All Saints' Episcopal
Church at 800 Abbott Street. We worship together in the main sanctuary. We hear readings from Scripture, hear a sermon and
gather around the table to celebrate the Eucharist together. Then
about 6:00 we eat a home cooked (repeat: home cooked!) dinner. We encourage
you to come late or leave early if your schedule will not permit you to
be with us for the entire evening.
All guests are always welcome!
