Who We Are
We do not know how you found us. We do not know your background, your interests, your race or your religious or denominational preference. We do know, however, that the Spirit of God can touch and inspire us, even through the electronic pathways of the internet. We also know that you are loved, sought after, and cared for by a loving God who can and will change your life for good if you let him. Maybe you are just browsing; perhaps you will move onto the next site and will decide this one is not for you. Perhaps, though, electronically crossing paths with St. Timothy’s coincides with a spiritual crossroads as well. Maybe you are looking for more from life. Either way, you are welcome here. We believe the Spirit of God can and will do infinitely more in our lives than we can either ask or imagine.
St. Timothy welcomes everyone to be part of our community. We believe all people, at whatever stage in life’s journey, from whatever theological/philosophical position or sexual orientation, you have been created by love. We are open to new ideas and direction as God’s Spirit leads. We accept our journey as a community of “Otherness” welcoming the enrichment, challenge and opportunities offered through diversity.
Everyone has a claim to life and our differing perspectives widen our vision when we hold this tension together. St. Timothy’s welcomes your experience, your pain and your vision. Join us as we venture a life that seeks the glimmers, the numinous, the small and the immense path our Lord Jesus Christ has opened for hungry eyes and ready hearts.
The American Episcopal Church is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. We are a church governed by Canons and regulations that have historical roots and are open to the present theological understanding of issues that face us today. The current structure of the Episcopal Church includes a Presiding Bishop who oversees and meets regularly with area Bishops (pastors of a diocese) and local priests, deacons and lay representatives to discuss the issues of the church. Together, they will make changes where necessary to be inclusive, taking positions in a rapidly changing world in areas of justice, health, war and economic equity.
We believe our church thinking and government rests on three principles: 1) The Bible 2) Our history and tradition 3) Reason
The Rites and Sacraments of the Episcopal Church are there to provide entry and participation with the Sacred. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, for example, we experience the power of forgiveness and learn how sharing forgiveness broadens our capacity to learn, love and grow. In the Sacrament of the Eucharist we share in the joy of being part of the Holy/Human reality and taste the sweetness of promise and potential in all that God promises to those who are open to his reality. We celebrate Holy Communion, Confirmation, Holy Orders, Marriage and we offer our sincere appreciation for those who go before us in death, bidding them light eternal and rest. The Rites and Sacraments of the Episcopal Church are communal as much as they are personal, historical as much as they are immediate, present as much as they help us transcend the mundane and enter the extraordinary levels of being and touching the Holy.
What is our History? The Anglican Church was born in controversy. In the 16th century prior to the Reformation throughout North America the English Church severed its ties with the Catholic Church due to a personal choice by its then King Henry VIII. Choosing to put the church under his authority rather than the authority of the Pope of Rome, King Henry VIII decided to have the Bible written in English and to maintain a service that would meet the needs of both those with a Protestant leaning and those with a Catholic leaning.
Thomas Cramer was tasked with writing the first version of the Book of Common Prayer, a later version of which we still use today. It is approximately two thirds scripture and includes Morning/Afternoon/Evening and Vesper prayer services. The Book of Common Prayer includes complete Eucharistic Services, Wedding Ceremonies, Funerals, Burial Services, Pastoral Prayers, Blessings, etc. and has served as the basis for many religious services.
The Book of Common Prayer was designed to be inclusive of all people whether Protestant, Puritan or Catholic. It was intended to bring people together in worship even though they may have differing opinions about politics, religion or cultures and through worship find common ground for living and sharing. Since the 16th century the Anglican Church and now the American Episcopal Church continue to be a place where people from all walks of life, dogma, religious ideas, etc. can come together and worship. The Episcopal Church is at the center of new ideas, old struggles, and prophetic uprisings. The Spirit of God moves in the Episcopal Church in ways that listens and includes all of God’s people.
The story of Timothy is one of faith and family, for he exhibited in his life the commitment to Christ and the adherence to Christian belief and practice learned from his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice.
Noting the influence of these women, his mentor and fellow missionary Paul praised Timothy for his “sincere faith” and encouraged him to apply “the gift of God within” him (2 Timothy 1:5,6). Timothy allowed himself to be circumcised by Paul in order to make him acceptable to the Jewish Christians of his time (Acts 16:3).
Timothy’s father was a Gentile and his mother Jewish, so he was caught up in different traditions, though he studied Scripture and became a companion and representative of Paul among the new Christian communities Paul was starting, notably in Thessalonica and Corinth. Eventually Timothy, according to the tradition reported by the historian Eusebius, became the first bishop of Ephesus. It was risky to be a follower of Christ then, as it still is in many places around the world today. Paul had been a persecutor of Christians before his conversion on the road to Damascus where Jesus confronted him. He was a teacher and example to Timothy who bravely stood up against the enemies of Christ by opposing pagan festivals in Ephesus. According to later stories, these pagans killed Timothy with stones and clubs.
Timothy is honored in our Calendar on January 26, along with fellow missionaries Titus and Silas. The two letters in The New Testament that are directed to him are full of encouragement for Christian living and give advice on the formation of faith and practice in the early Christian churches. They remain useful for our instruction in living our lives as Christians and facing the challenges of our times.
References:
Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, Church Publishing Incorporated, NY 2010 The Oxford Dictionary of Saints, David Hugh Farmer, Oxford University Press 1982.