Our DNA. That is our Vision, Values and Beliefs

As a parish community, we are guided and driven in everything we do by our DNA. Some of this is very particular to who we are as a parish. This has been developed by prayer, research and conversation about how to serve God in this particular place and this particular time.

Some of it (our beliefs in particular) come from the fact that we are part of a larger community - a community to which we are accountable and from which we come. That larger family is the Anglican Communion. This is a community of (soon to be) 100,000,000 Christians in every part of the world. It originated in Britain and Ireland but now most of us live in places like Africa and Asia. It is a gift to be part of, enriched by and enriching such a large and world wide family. It means we do not simply decide what we believe to be true as individuals, or parishes or even as Canadian Anglicans. We look back to the very beginning of the Church and we look across the world. We believe truth is known in community.

Our Parish Vision

To be with Christ on the hill, as He looks on the community of Cochrane with compassion. To see the people of the Town as He sees them - and to be sent into it by Him: serving Him in them and calling them into relationship with Him.

Our Parish Mission

To be a thriving and expanding Christian Community offering hope, healing, and inspiration to all.

Our Parish Core Values

1. To put our faith into concrete acts of compassion.

2. To encourage diversity.

3. To value ministry to and of young people.

4. To grow spiritually.

5. To maintain intimacy and at the same time grow numerically.

Our Anglican Bedrock Beliefs

We Anglicans believe that we really don’t have beliefs that are unique to us. We look back to our beginnings (our church has existed since there were Christians in Britain and Ireland) and to before the church became divided. We say that we believe what has been believed everywhere, at all times, by everyone.

1.The Bible is the revealed Word of God.

2. What we believe about God is summarized in the Nicene Creed. This Creed was developed in the 4^th century to summarize what all Christians believe. It is also the framework we use for understanding the Bible.

The creed says God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God made the world, and it is good. God became human in Jesus Christ, who died and rose for us. The Holy Spirit lives with us and in our church community. Christ will return and usher in the age to come where all will be brought to its perfection in Him.

3. The Sacraments are very important. God comes to us through these physical things, gives us His presence. He cleanses, renews and frees us. They are not just signs. They truly communicate God’s energy and God’s presence. Baptism and the Eucharist (holy communion or the mass) are the two most important sacraments (the others are confession, confirmation, marriage, ordination and anointing of the sick).

4. Anglican parishes are not independent communities. They are under the guidance of a bishop. The priest is appointed by, and represents the bishop. This is important because the bishop represents and makes us accountable to the whole world wide church. He or she relates to other bishops across the world. And each bishop traces their “lineage” (hands laid on in ordination) back the very ancient days of the church. So the bishop keeps us in relationship with Christians across the world and across time.