Our Faith
St James Church in Gatley is an Anglican Parish Church and our core beliefs can be found in the Nicene Creed – an ancient summary of the Christian faith. Here is what is says:
We believe in God the Father
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in God the Son
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in God the Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
The Bible
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
We believe that the Bible contains all Christian teachings ‘necessary for salvation’.
Each week in our services we read from the Bible and listen to a sermon based on the readings.
Holy Communion
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 1 Corinthians 11:26
Central to our worship times is the Holy Communion or Eucharist. At Holy Communion, we look back to the sacrificial death of Jesus on the Cross, and we look forward to His second coming.
Prayer
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4.2
These words from the Bible remind us that prayer is an important part of the Christian life.
In prayer we are thankful and bring our praises before God.
In prayer we are also watchful in our awareness of the needs of others, bringing to God our concerns for others as well as for ourselves.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever.
Amen.
Find out more
You can find out more on the Christianity website.