“for persons beginning to discover the Episcopal Church”
Looking at the Episcopal Church
William Sydnor
The stanzas reproduced from the hymn”God My Father, Loving Me” by G.W. Briggs are taken from Enlarged Songs of Praise and used with permission of Oxford University Press.
Copyright © 1980 William Syndor
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.
Morehouse Publishing 4775 Linglestown Road Harrisburg, PA 17112
Morehouse Publishing is an imprint of Church Publishing Incorporated
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sydnor, William
Looking at the Episcopal church / William Sydnor.
p. cm.
ISBN 10 0-8192-1279-2 (pbk.)
ISBN 13 978-0-8192-1279-5 (pbk.)
1. Episcopal Church. 1. Title.
BX5930.2.S93 80-081103
283/.73—dc 19 CIP
Printed in the United States of America.
To my cosmopolitan grandchildrenwho amaze and awe and humble me
CarolineBerkelyTomBryanJyoti
Other Books by William Sydnor
How & What the Church Teaches
Introductions to the Scripture Read in Worship
Jesus According to Luke
Keeping the Christian Year
More Than Words
The Son of God (with Edric Weld)
The Story of the Real Prayer Book
Sunday's Scriptures
Traveling the Way (with Drusilla McGowen)
Your Voice, God's Word
Contents
1. How the Church Looks to Outsiders
6. The Worship of the Church — The Book of Common Prayer
7. The Worship of the Church — Morning and Evening Prayer
8. The Worship of the Church — The Holy Eucharist
9. The Worship of the Church — Other Services
10. The Worship of the Church — Pastoral Offices
11. Church Customs and Practices
12. The Church's Long Past — Early Beginnings
13. The Church's Long Past — The Church of England
14. The Church's Long Past — The Reformation
15. The Church's Long Past — The Church in America
16. The Characteristics of the Church
18. The Faith of the Church — The Creeds
19. The Faith of the Church — The Church Year
Preface
There is a need for a simple, not-too-detailed account of the facts about the Episcopal Church. That is what, God willing, this book is intended to be. In another day there were books such as Lefferd M. A. Haughwout, The Ways and Teachings of the Church which filled that need for a number of people. Perhaps this effort to lead inquirers from superficial appearance to meaning to commitment will in some way fill that need in this present time. At the least, it is an effort to provide material to put into the hands of persons who are beginning to discover the Episcopal Church.
Among those inquirers are that restless tribe of noisy future church leaders known as “Confirmation Age Children.” Because it is possible that the material here may, in the wisdom of the rector, form the basis of a course of Confirmation instruction for such youngsters, a leader's guide has been included as an appendix to assist the person responsible for conducting that class. I hope it conveys something of the sense of privilege and excitement that goes with sharing this time with growing young church people.
I am indebted to many