What is happening in the Church now? We are working to expand our ministry in the community to meet the real pressing needs of our hurting, needy, poor and fulfill the commission of discipleship. We seek members who are dedicated to peace and harmony among the body, and those who value discipleship and working for God to make a real, tangible difference in the lives of the poor and downtrodden in our community. There is much work to do and many needs to be met. Where is your parish? Baxter County, Arkansas in the Ozark Mountains - BEHIND LOWE’S IN MONTAIN HOME Mountain Home, was featured by the Wall Street Journal as a top resort and retirement community. The area was featured by Field and Stream Magazine as its #2 Best Fishing Town in America. We are nestled between two of Arkansas’s largest lakes (Bull Shoals and Norfork), and the nearby the Buffalo, Norfork and White Rivers, Mountain Home is a unique, quiet place, but one with a bustling economy and vibrant outdoor life. Are you affiliated with anyone? On April 19, 2009 the congregation voted to align with Reformed Episcopal Church, which was founded in 1873 and is part of the Common Cause Partnership and the Anglican Church in North America. What do you expect from members? Fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ! We expect that our members will be engaged in the community, will spread the gospel according to the Great Commission, and will serve the poor, the widows and the orphans of our community. We are called to make disciples of believers and hope our members grow in faith according to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Aren’t You Episcopalians? No and yes. We preserve the traditions of the Anglican Church and the Episcopal Church of the United States, but are very different now because of the liberal social positions the mainstream Anglican and Episcopal Churches now accept. We are former Baptists, Episcopalians and Roman Catholics among others. We call ourselves Continuing Anglicans because we reject the changes and liberalization of the modern Episcopal Church of the United States, and continue the traditions handed down to us. What if I’m not sure about coming? This is new to me. Father Sam, or any of us, would be happy to meet you for lunch. You can reach him at 421-2986. Other contact information is on the contact page. Or stop in for coffee and dessert at 11:00 am on Sunday, visit with us, ask us any questions you may have and tour the church. We would be happy to see you there. So What Do You Believe? What are your Values? For one, we believe in justification by faith in Jesus Christ and the authority of the Bible. (On Salvation - click here) Socially, we make these distinctions: 1. marriage is between a man and a woman; (On Marriage - click here) 2. abortion should not be accepted or available on demand; the Church should avoid liberal theology; 3. those practicing same-sex relationships should not be ordained to the ministry (though we do love them); 4. we recognize the traditional male character of ordination, although we do recognize the important and vital role of women in the life of the Church and that their influence and participation is vital to its success. 5. the theology in the Book of Common Prayer (see below) should not be changed in any way; 6. we do our best to continue in the faith and values handed down to us in the Scriptures, through Jesus, the Apostles, and the Church Fathers to defend orthodox teaching that kept the Church healthy for centuries. Prayer Book? All churches have a liturgy, which at its most basic can be like a Baptist order of service in the bulletin each week, or as complex as a High Church Mass. The Prayer Book contains the liturgy of Holy Communion, scripture readings from the gospels, epistles and psalms. The Prayer book follows the traditional Christian year with Advent near Christmas, Lent, Epiphany, Easter, etc., all of which are meant to remind us throughout the year of Jesus’s life. There are three main services, Communion, and Morning and Evening Prayer, which are designed to contain a great deal of prayer and scripture reading, as well as a call to repentance. What about all these Symbols? All churches use symbols, some more than others. Many churches today use video extensively. Even music can be a symbol. Our symbols are derived from traditional sources. They are colors, which like green may remind us of growth and sanctification, to the more obvious things like pictures, music, stained glass windows, Stations of the Cross, candles, incense and the service itself. There is nothing magic about these things. They are used, like video or elaborate musical productions, to turn our attention to God. Why Your Church And Not Somewhere Else? There are many fine churches in our area, but many do not celebrate Communion every week, which we believe is an extremely important and powerful weekly reminder of Our Lord’s sacrifice. (Acts 2:42) Many choose unnecessarily divisive interpretations of scripture and base their churches on these interpretations. We do not require a member to be Armenian or accept Calvinism’s TULIP. We consider our church to be a “middle way,” believing the essentials and working out our salvation with fear and trembling. You will also find that we heavily emphasize the reading of scripture and the creeds during our services. We believe that reading scripture and reciting the creeds are important for instructing our daily lives, and that by memorizing the ancient Christian creeds we memorize the fundamentals of our faith and arm ourselves against heresy. This sounds like it is Roman Catholic. Some liturgical practices originate with the early Roman Church because for almost 1,300 years the Western Church was Roman Catholic. The Protestant Reformation in England brought about the Anglican Church. The founders tried to take what was correct from both the Protestant and Roman traditions, though not all from either. At St. Thomas the main differences are: 1. Our service is not a re-sacrifice, 2. We do not invoke the saints or Mary, 3. The priest stands as an icon of Christ and not as an intermediary. The Anglican Church sought to become a middle way between the Roman Catholic church and the new Protestant thinkers. Some say we have the best of both worlds. Unlike other denominations, though, we are a product of the Reformation in England, not the European Continent (Luther, Calvin, Zwingli), although we consider the writings of the Continental Reformers to be worth study and consideration. We are simply a community of believers trying our best to practice our faith in the correct way as delivered unto us by Jesus Christ down through the Saints. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baxter_County,_Arkansashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Home,_Arkansashttp://www.realestatejournal.com/buysell/relocation/20050303-opdyke.htmlhttp://www.fieldandstream.com/article_gallery.jsp?ID=1000014252&page=2&galleryID=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Commissionhttp://www.anglicanlibrary.org/homilies/bk1hom03.htmhttp://www.victorshepherd.on.ca/Other%20Writings/awedding.htmshapeimage_1_link_0shapeimage_1_link_1shapeimage_1_link_2shapeimage_1_link_3shapeimage_1_link_4shapeimage_1_link_5shapeimage_1_link_6
About Us Founded - August 8, 2004 St. Thomas Anglican Church P.O. Box 135 292 CR 390 (Behind Lowe's) Mtn. Home, Arkansas 72653 Eucharist 10:00 AM Sunday Coffee 11:00 AM Sunday (870) 425-8099
(870) 421-2986 F.A.Q.
Biblical - Evangelical - Liturgical
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