Mission
Statement | Statement
of Faith | Core
Values | FAQ
Our
Mission:
To serve God, to exalt Jesus
Christ our Lord and Savior, to proclaim His Word.
Statement
of Faith:
We affirm our belief in historic
Christianity as revealed in the Scriptures and summarized
in the three Creeds (the Apostles, the Nicene, and
the Athanasian) and the Thirty-Nine Articles. We
recognize the need to proclaim and to reaffirm the
following beliefs:
ARTICLE 1 - The Holy Trinity
The mystery of the Holy Trinity,
namely, that the one God exists eternally in the
three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit; and
has so revealed himself to us in the Gospel.
ARTICLE II - The Lord Jesus
Christ
The full deity and full humanity
of our Lord Jesus Christ, God Incarnate, who by
reason of his birth of the Virgin Mary, sinless
life, atoning death, bodily resurrection, glorious
ascension and triumphant reign, is the only Mediator
between God and man.
ARTICLE III - The Holy Scriptures
The trustworthiness of the canonical
books of the Old and New Testaments as “God’s
Word written,” which contain all things necessary
for salvation, teach God’s will for his world,
and have supreme authority for faith, life and the
continuous renewal and reform of the Church.
ARTICLE IV - Justification
and Sanctification
The justification of the repenting
and believing sinner as God’s gracious act
of declaring him righteous on the ground of the
reconciling death of Christ, who suffered in our
place and rose again for us; and sanctification
as the gracious continuing activity of the Holy
Spirit in the justified believer, perfecting his
repentance, nurturing the new life implanted within
him, transforming him into Christ’s image,
and enabling him to do good works in the world.
ARTICLE V - The Christian
Church
The Church as the Body of Christ,
whose members belong to the new humanity, are called
to live in the world in the power of the Spirit,
worshipping God, confessing his truth, proclaiming
Christ, supporting one another in love and giving
themselves in sacrificial service to those in need.
ARTICLE VI - Spiritual Gifts
and Ministry
The calling of all Christians
to exercise their God-given gifts in ministry, and
to work, witness, and suffer for Christ; together
with the particular calling of ordained ministers,
who, by preaching, teaching and pastoral care, are
to equip God’s people for his service, and
to present them mature in Christ.
ARTICLE VII - The Gospel
Sacraments
The sacraments of Baptism and
Holy Communion as “visible words” which
proclaim the Gospel, and are means of grace by which
faith is quickened and strengthened.
In particular, the significance of the Lord’s
Supper as a communion in the Body and Blood of Christ,
who offers himself to us in the action of this sacrament,
so that by faith we may feed on him in our hearts
and offer ourselves to him in gratitude for our
salvation through his cross;
Also, the openness of the Lord’s Table as
the place where all baptized believers, being one
in Christ, are free to celebrate their common salvation
in the Lord, and to express their common devotion
to his person and his service.
ARTICLE VIII - The Return
of Christ
The personal return in glory
of our Lord Jesus Christ at the end of this age
for the resurrection of the dead, some to life,
some to condemnation, for the glorification of his
Church, and for the renewal of the whole creation.
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Core
Values:
The following are certain
common, nonnegotiable values that unify our efforts
and distinguish us as a unique parish church:
We believe in God
the Father, Creator of
everything, Who loved the world He created and sent
His only Son to be our Savior. (Genesis 1:1; John
3:16)
We believe God the
Son is Jesus of Nazareth,
the Savior sent by God, Israel’s Messiah,
born of a virgin, fully man and fully God. (Mat
1:18; Philippians 2:6; Hebrews 4:15; Romans 8:3)
We believe God the
Holy Spirit, the Comforter,
quickens us from death to life, indwells all those
who receive Jesus Christ by faith as Lord and Savior
and continuously conforms believers to the image
of Jesus Christ. (John 14:17, 14:20, 14:26; John
16: 14; Romans 8:26; II Corinthians 3:18)
The will of God
is our highest goal in every aspect of life (Luke
6:46-49) We must know the Word of God, understand
it, be able to articulate it, and be ready to defend
the faith at all times. (I Peter 3:15)
An atmosphere of
grace must pervade our
life together. While we expect the highest and best
of one another, we accept one another as forgiven
and beloved of God. (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 12:9-18).
We are a family
– we need each other and rejoice in the gift
of supportive, accountable, faithful, prayerful
relationships (Mark 3:31-35; I Corinthians 12:12-27)
Nurture of children
– we are committed to bringing our children
to the knowledge and love of the Lord. (3 John 4,
Deut. 6:6-7, Jude 3:4)
Authenticity of life
– we all seek to live more like Christ, to
be persons of integrity while seeking to grow in
Christ. (Matt. 6:33-34; 7:18-21; Ephesians 4:25-26;
James 1:22-25, 5:12; Hebrews 12:1-2; Philippians
1:6)
Growth is expected –
anointed, scripturally sound, expository teaching,
God-honoring worship, supportive relationships,
purposeful discipling, daily obedience, wise counsel,
prayer, and study are the ingredients we cherish
as catalysts for personal and corporate growth in
Christ. (Col. 1:28; Matt. 5:48; Romans 12:1-2)
Conversion – apart
from Christ, people are lost. As we reach out and
share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, we
expect to see a steady stream of new persons becoming
believers and joining our family. (John 3:1-6; Luke
15; Matt. 28:18-20)
Scripture
– We encourage every member of our church
to become a prayerful student of Scripture, for
it is the infallible Word of God written. (Matt.
5:17-20; II Timothy 3:14-17; Psalm 119:9-11, Hebrews
4:12)
Prayerful dependence
on God – life with
Christ can only be lived in the power of the Holy
Spirit, whose fullness we seek daily. Prayer, both
individual and corporate, must undergird all our
life. Prayer focuses us upon the will of God, joins
us to the heart of God, and releases through us
the miracle-working power of God. (Phil. 2:13, 4:13;
Matt 7:7-11; Luke 11:1-13; Luke 6:12)
Gifts for ministry
– every believer has been given a gift for
ministry. The church functions best when each member
discovers, develops, and deploys his own gifts in
ministry, and we seek to help all members find their
place to serve. (I Cor. 12-14; Eph. 4)
Leadership in the
church is to be entrusted
only to those with leadership gifts who exhibit
consistent spiritual maturity, wisdom, godliness,
and a willingness to sacrifice for the sake of Christ.
(Acts 6:2-5; Nehemiah 1:2; I Timothy 3, Titus 1:6-9)
Involvement
– our church must be actively involved in
the culture, seeking to bring the mind of Christ
to the issues and challenges of the day. (I Cor.
9:19-23; Acts 19:8)
Attitudes of joy
in Christ, gratitude to God, trust, sacrifice, and
an ongoing expectancy
must characterize our life together if we are to
fulfill God’s purposes for us. (James 1:1-8;
Luke 1:37: Psalm 100; I Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Giving sacrificially
of our money and time
to the purposes of Christ, as an expression of our
faith, is essential to our maturity. (II Cor. 9:19-23;
Acts 19:8m Malachi 3:10)
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Frequently Asked Questions and
Answers
Holy Trinity is a new church. How did it begin?
In the fall of 2003 a group of local Episcopal lay people began meeting informally in a private home to pray in response to the need for renewal in the national Episcopal Church. Following the Holy Spirit’s prompting, this group eventually formed All Saints Fellowship, which initially sponsored a twelve week series of Sunday evening worship services featuring outstanding preachers in the Anglican tradition. These services were held at 5 p.m. at All Saints Chapel at St David’s School Chapel. We eventually extended the series, first through May and later through the summer.
After much prayer and discernment, the group believed the Holy Spirit was prompting the start of a new parish. Holy Trinity Church had its first public worship service at 10:00 on the morning of Sunday, September 12, 2004 at the chapel of Saint David’s School offering weekly Sunday morning worship each week thereafter at Saint David’s.
Is Holy Trinity affiliated with the Diocese of North Carolina and the Episcopal Church?
No. We seek to be a church in the historic and orthodox Anglican tradition. We use both the 1979 and 1928 Books of Common Prayer and the 1982 Hymnal and other music in our services. We will have both traditional and more informal services, and our traditional music and liturgy will be familiar to those who have worshipped in the Episcopal Church.
Will you be a part of the Anglican Communion?
Yes. As a result of recent actions of the Episcopal Church, a new province entitled the Anglican Church in North America was formed in December 2008. In January 2009, The Vestry of Holy Trinity church voted to align with the Diocese of Pittsburgh under the leadership of Archbishop Robert Duncan of the Anglican Church in North America. We join with all orthodox Anglicans in the United States “to make common cause for the gospel of Jesus Christ and common cause for a united, missionary and orthodox Anglicanism in North America.” (See Note 1 below)
How long will you continue to meet at Saint David’s? What are your long term goals for a facility?
We have secured an agreement with Saint David’s School which will allow us to worship there through the end of 2009. We are currently seeking a permanent location. We will place a very high priority on securing a traditional facility – be it an existing facility or one that we build – with a sanctuary that is consistent with our form of worship.
Who is the Rector?
David Drake, originally from New Canaan, Connecticut, worked for FOCUS (Fellowship of Christians in Universities and Schools) for 11 years in Baltimore, Washington, and Boston. He graduated last year from Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry and was ordained an Anglican Priest in the Anglican Diocese of Bolivia in May of 2006. David has a passion for evangelism and leadership development initiatives. In his free time David enjoys basketball, sailing, skiing, tennis, reading, cooking, and playing the guitar. He and his wife, Kristin, have four daughters.
Who is the Associate Rector?
Ger Jones, a native of England, spent several years of his childhood in St. Louis, Missouri. After graduating with a law degree from Bristol University in England, Ger practiced corporate law for four years in London and then worked as a brand manager for four years with Procter & Gamble in Geneva, Switzerland. In 2004, Ger accepted the call to seminary at Regent College, Vancouver. While at Regent he was accepted as a Fellow into the Sandy Ford Leadership Foundation. Having graduated with a Masters of Divinity, Ger joined the Pastoral Staff of Holy Trinity July 1, 2007. He was ordained to the priesthood in the Spring of 2008. Ger has a deep love for people and his passions include preaching, small groups, evangelism and helping others grow in their love for Christ. He is married to his Australian wife, Lizzie, and they have two young daughters, Amy and Naomi and a son, Samuel.
Do you have a Sunday School, nursery, and other programs?
From the very beginning as a church we have provided adult and children’s Sunday School programs to the congregation. We have numerous Bible studies and prayer groups going on throughout the week and have developed an extensive network of home fellowship groups.
What do members of Holy Trinity Church believe? Have you adopted a statement of faith?
Our Mission is “To serve God, to exalt Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, to proclaim His Word.” Our Statement of Faith and Core Values are included in this packet.
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1. Quote from a letter
to the Archbishop of Canterbury signed by the leaders
of orthodox Anglicans in the United States, including
Bob Duncan, Moderator of the Anglican Communion
Network The full text may be view at the Network’s
website, www.anglicancommunionnetwork.org.
2. Definition supplied by the Network via their
website.
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