Our mission here is to “go, make disciples, and teach them to obey the commands of Christ.”
Forming Our Mission
When the Rev. David H. Roseberry founded Christ Church in 1985, he knew that the church would need a purpose, a mission to follow. His five criteria for the mission: Biblical, big, clear, effective and pro-active. He decided that the following verse of scripture should be Christ Church’s mission. It is the foundation for every sermon, every ministry, every project we undertake. It has been the same since 1985, and always will be…
Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
“Faith is remembering that in the kingdom
of God everything is based on promise, not on feeling.”
– Pamela Reeve
Our Beliefs
Christ Church is a member of the Anglican Mission in the Americas (AMiA), and therefore a member of worldwide Anglican Communion. Pastoral oversight for our parish is provided by the Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Kolini, the Archbishop of Rwanda. Formerly an Episcopal church, Christ Christ severed ties with The Episcopal Church USA on September 15, 2006 and joined the AMiA on January 22, 2007.
We believe in a Trinitarian God, which means one God of creation, redemption, and constant presence and love. We believe that the church is Christ living and visible in the world. This does not mean that any group is perfect. In fact, belonging to a church is an exercise in patience, forbearance, and love. But at every baptism, all the people are asked again to renew their own baptismal covenant. One of the questions they are asked is "Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in the prayers?" We believe that we are called to continue practices that date back to Jesus’ time.
Our beliefs can be summed up in two creeds which are recited by the congregation in every worship service: The Nicene Creed and The Apostles’ Creed, both found in The Book of Common Prayer (1979) which resides with The Holy Bible in our pew racks. (Note that the word "catholic" in these creeds refers not to the Roman Catholic Church, but to the universal church of the Lord Jesus Christ.)
The Nicene Creed
The Nicene Creed is the most universally accepted profession of the Christian Faith. It is affirmed by most of the Protestant denominations, as well as by the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church. It was adopted (in a slightly different version) by the Church Council at Nicaea in AD 325 and further revised to its present form by the Council at Chalcedon in AD 451. It has remained in use since that time and is currently an essential part of the doctrine and liturgy here at Christ Church.
The Nicene Creed:
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
The Apostles’ Creed
The Apostles’ Creed is the basic creed of Reformed churches. Dating back a half-century or so from the last writings of the New Testament, it has as the authors of its earliest version the twelve disciples or “apostles” of Jesus.
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day He rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.