Why Anglican?
The Anglican Way is one way to live faithfully as a Christian. Rooted in the historic tradition of the English-speaking church, Anglicanism connects all the way back to the early church. Anglicanism has expanded to become the third-largest branch of Christianity globally, with rapid growth occurring in the global South. While we don’t believe that Anglicanism is the only way to be a Christian, we have found it to be deeply formative and spiritually edifying.
Our Story:
In college in Pittsburgh, we (Garrett & Stephanie Sipes) settled in an Anglican church near our campus. While we weren’t able to get very involved, we grew to love the pattern of worship, the biblical grounding and the celebration of the sacraments there. As we moved to St. Louis and then Chambersburg, we worshiped and served in churches that shared some of the same patterns of worship, but no longer held to the biblical and historic roots of Anglicanism.
Feeling convicted to attend a Biblically-faithful Anglican church in 2020, we began driving from Chambersburg to Hagerstown to attend an Anglican church with the hope of starting a church in Chambersburg. With support from our priest in Hagerstown and our diocese, we hosted the first monthly Potluck & Prayer in our home in October 2021 to see who might be interested in joining us. We began to celebrate communion together in 2022, as often as priests were available to attend our gatherings. This year, we’ve begun meeting a second time each month for Lectio Divina & Dessert – a time for meditation following the ancient pattern of Lectio Divina and (of course) dessert! Through fellowship and discipleship, this community continues to develop a shared vision for an Anglican church in Chambersburg.
We are part of the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic (DOMA), a regional diocese of the Anglican Church in North America based out of the DC Metro area. DOMA includes more than 40 congregations, as well as many new churches (missions) and mission fellowships.
Why Anglican?
Christian – Anglicanism has given us a faithful way of following the God of the Bible. We’re Anglicans because we’re Christians first and foremost.
Bible-Honoring – A typical Anglican service includes at least four readings from scripture – Old Testament, Psalm, Epistle and Gospel – which follows a schedule shared among several church traditions. Reading the Bible together in this way encourages a deep respect for God’s word, helps us take in the whole Bible story and encourages Bible-focused preaching.
Historic Practice – Anglicans worship and pray according to historic patterns carried from the early church into England. These patterns of worship (liturgy) include Bible readings, preaching, prayers, and sacraments. The liturgy turns our attention to God and his work and teaches us to love and serve him.
Sacramental Worship – The sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion are unique ways in which God gives his grace to us through physical means. Since God works meaningfully in the lives of believers through the sacraments, Anglicans include them in our worship as often as possible.