AMERICUS — The white understated storefront church adjacent to the feed and seed store and located at 411 W. Forsyth St., Americus was filled with joy, celebration and the Holy Spirit as 70  people were received into the Anglican Church in North America by the Rt. Rev. Dr. Foley Beach, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the South. The occasion was followed by a reception.

St. John’s Anglican Church was formed in April 2012, “in response to God’s call to be faithful to Holy Scripture and the tradition of the church. The new parish has been blessed with members from other denominations, but the majority of its members came from the local Episcopal Church,” according to a news release.

“St. John’s Anglican Church was formed because God called them to be faithful to Holy Scripture and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The community is definitively Anglican because of their belief in the Creeds, the authority of Holy Scripture, life in the catholic tradition of more than 2,000 years and the desire to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in word and actions,” the release said.

According to the news release, St. John’s shared the following at the Founder’s Day Celebration.

“We rejoice in the grace of the Triune God, who has forgiven our sins and given us redemption in Jesus Christ.

“We confess Jesus as the Lord to whom all authority in heaven and earth has been given by the Father.  We commit ourselves to follow him and love him above all else and to conform our lives to his example and teaching by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

“We believe all Scriptures ‘were written for our learning’ (Romans 14: 4; 2 Timothy 3: 16), that they are ‘God’s Word written,’ and that we are to ‘hear, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them.’

“We hold corporate worship, discipleship, and mission to be interconnected and indispensable aspects of our response to God as he revealed himself to us in Jesus Christ.

“The Risen Lord commissioned his disciples to preach the gospel and follow his commandments. We believe the mission of the Church includes both evangelistic proclamation and deeds of love and service.

“We believe in the uniqueness of Jesus Christ. While religions and philosophies of the world are not without elements of truth, Jesus Christ alone is the full revelation of God. In and through the Gospel, Jesus judges and corrects all views and doctrines. All persons everywhere need to learn of him, come to know and believe in him, and receive forgiveness and new life in him, as there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved. (Acts 4: 12)

‘We affirm the Faith of the Anglican Church as it is set forth in the Nicene and Apostle’s Creed and in the classical Prayer book tradition including those documents contained in the ‘Historical Documents’ section of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. We affirm the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral as an expression of the normative authority of Holy Scripture and a basis for our present unity with brothers and sisters in the Anglican Communion.

“We believe biblical social commandments and Christian ethical principles are foundational to the well being of every society and recognize the call of Christians to be faithful witnesses and a challenging presence in society. We are committed to seek ways to express these commandments and principles in all spheres of life, including the public life of the nation.

‘We believe in the sanctity of life. All human life is a sacred gift from God and is to be protected and defended from conception to natural death. We will uphold the sanctity of life and bring the grace and compassion of Christ to those who face the realities of previous abortion, unwanted pregnancy, and end-of-life illness.

“We believe in true inclusivity and will extend the welcome of the Church to every person regardless of race, sex, social or economic status, sexual orientation or past behavior.  We will oppose prejudice in ourselves and others and renounce any false notion of inclusivity that denies that all are sinners who need to repent.

“We believe in the sanctity of marriage, family and single life. God has instituted marriage to be a life-long union of husband and wife, intended for their mutual joy, help, and comfort, and, when it is God’s will, for the procreation and nurture of children. Divorce is always contrary to God’s original intention, though in a fallen world it is sometimes a tragic reality.  The roles of father and mother, exercised in a variety of ways, are God-given and profoundly important since they are the chief provinces of moral instruction and godly living. The single life, either by call or by circumstance, is honored by God.  It is therefore important for unmarried persons to embrace and be embraced by the Christian family.

“Sexuality is inherent in God’s creation of every human person in his image as male and female. All Christians are called to chastity:  Husbands and wives by exclusive sexual fidelity to one another and single persons by abstinence from sexual intercourse. God intends and enables all people to live within these boundaries through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit.”