A Faith Rooted in Prayer and Open to the World
The Wider Episcopal Church
What is the Episcopal Church?
A Living Tradition of Worship, Welcome, and Service
All Saints’ Parish is part of The Episcopal Church, a Christian tradition rooted in ancient worship, faith, and a commitment to God’s reconciling love for the world. We are also part of the Episcopal Diocese of the Great Lakes and the worldwide Anglican Communion, a global family of churches with roots in the Church of England.
As Episcopalians, we inherit a tradition shaped by Scripture, common prayer, sacramental worship, and a deep respect for the dignity of every being. Our worship is grounded in The Book of Common Prayer, which gives us shared language for praise, confession, healing, grief, joy, and hope.
The Episcopal Church is shaped by a generous and thoughtful approach to Christian faith. We value beauty, justice, tradition, curiosity, reverence, welcome, ancient wisdom, and honest questions — not as competing ideas, but as part of a shared life of worship and service. At All Saints’, this tradition helps us make room for meaningful worship, thoughtful belief, deep belonging, and love put into action.
Anglican Christianity is rooted in the ancient Church and shaped by the English Reformation. Our worship includes sacraments, seasons, symbols, and liturgy that connect us to centuries of Christian prayer, while also inviting Scripture, reason, conscience, and ongoing renewal to shape how we live faithfully today.
At All Saints’, this wider tradition shapes our life in very local ways. We gather around the Eucharistic Table, listen for God’s Word, welcome all who hunger for grace, and seek to be sent back into the world as people formed by love, justice, and hope.
Our Tradition
What Shapes Episcopal Life
Episcopal faith is not defined by a single slogan or a narrow set of answers. It is a spacious tradition of prayer, worship, learning, service, and shared life.
- The Book of Common Prayer guides our worship and gives shape to our common life.
- Baptism welcomes us into the Body of Christ and calls us to seek justice and peace.
- The Eucharist gathers us at God’s Table and sends us into the world in love.
- Scripture, tradition, and reason help us engage faith with depth and humility.
- The Church year leads us through seasons of waiting, joy, repentance, renewal, and hope.
- The Baptismal Covenant calls us to respect the dignity of every human being.
Part of Something Bigger
All Saints’ is deeply rooted in Saugatuck, but our life here is connected to a wider community of faith. Through the Episcopal Church, the Episcopal Diocese of the Great Lakes, and the Anglican Communion, we share in a living tradition of prayer, worship, learning, service, and mutual care.
These connections support our local ministry and remind us that the work of love, justice, healing, and hope belongs to the whole Church.