Wednesday 24 January 2018

Discovering Lake Norman District Episcopal Church

By Karen Ward


One of the more progressive and welcoming denominations of the Christian branches is that of the Episcopal church. In the Lake Norman district episcopal church, this would be Saint Patricks. For, Saint Patricks provides a welcome mat decorated in diversity which welcomes all people to attend the church.

For, the vision of the church is to connect, inspire, embrace and share life on the spiritual path. Whereas, aspirations include growing together in diversity, praise and worship of God. While this is the case, the Saint Patricks also recognizes diversity when it comes to spiritual paths, practices and being when it comes to the connection an individual has with the Divine.

In the way of spirituality, Saint Patricks puts God at the centerpiece of worship. Whereas, the living Christ plays a large role in the church. As such, the mystery and essence of the one true God is often felt by many whom attend services on a regular basis.

Saint Patricks is committed to a God centered approach which promotes worship, mediation and spiritual education in a diverse manner. In addition, members provide help and assistance to the local community through acts of love and kindness. As such, there are many who work to provide these services.

For those interested in pursing additional education, there are several study groups associated with Saint Patricks. One of these study groups is known as Brawleys Crawleys. The group, named after a road in the area that had been widened is a group which studies a number of different texts by religious scholars.

The idea of this particular study group, and many others is to enhance the understanding of the Episcopalian belief system through reading and discussing a number of different texts. In the process, each individual reports on the meaning and purpose found in the text, most of which were written by famous religious scholars. After which, it is hoped that each individual will leave with a deeper relationship with the Divine and a stronger sense of spirituality.

Unlike many fundamentalist right wing congregations, Saint Patricks works to honor the early traditions of the Episcopalian belief system. In the process, those involved welcome the opportunity to learn about different religious and spiritual understandings. While this is the case, the living Christ remains at the center of the Episcopalian belief while the church also embraces the concept of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Ghost.

Unique to the Episcopal faith with regards to Christian beliefs, is that the church is all inclusive. As such, diversity of all kinds is accepted. In addition, St. Patricks welcomes those seeking, questioning and doubting the reality of a spiritual connection. Whereas, one of the most uncommon and important aspects is that the church affirms science as well as faith.




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