Grace Church is part of the Episcopal Church, which is part of the larger Anglican family of churches that can be found around the world. Depending on which religion scholar you quote, Anglican Christianity is the second or third largest expression of Christianity in the world.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ANGLICANISM

WHAT DOES THE WORD ANGLICAN MEAN?

It means "of England" as Anglican Christianity originated in England then spread across the world. 

WHAT IS ANGLICAN CHRISTIANITY?

Anglican Christianity is that branch of the Christian faith founded in England during the sixth century by Saint Augustine of Canterbury. Anglicanism has roots going back much earlier than this time, ultimately back to Jesus and the first Christians. (Henry VIII did not "found" the Anglican Church, though his actions did change the face of the Christian Church in England, which is the mother church of Anglican Christianity.) The Anglican Church has been present in the United States since the the early 17th century (1600’s) with the Church's name in this country changing to "Episcopal" after the American Revolution.   

WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT ANGLICAN CHRISTIANITY?

Anglican Christianity is often viewed as a middle way(via media) between Roman Catholic and Protestant Christianity. Our ideal is to take the best from both of these traditions in order to follow Jesus as faithfully as possible.

WHAT ARE THE CORE BELIEFS OF ANGLICAN CHRISTIANS?

  The core beliefs of all Anglicans are found in the Book of Common Prayer, especially in the  Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds. The creeds are summaries of the teaching of the Bible, which Anglicans recognize as the Word of God and "containing all things necessary for salvation."

CAN YOU TELL ME THE NAMES OF SOME ANGLICANS I MIGHT HAVE HEARD OF BEFORE?

Sure. C.S. Lewis the beloved twentieth century writer was an Anglican. Jon Meacham, presidential biographer and journalist. Sam Waterston, actor. John R.W. Stott, rector and author. N.T. Wright, Bishop and theologian.   

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EPISCOPAL AND ANGLICAN?

Historically, none. The Anglican Communion of churches contains forty-one national or regional churches, of which the Episcopal Church is one. Whether members of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, the Church of England, or the Anglican Church of South Africa, all of these people are Anglicans - that is they part of churches in the Anglican tradition of Christianity.