St. James Episcopal Church
Monahans, Texas

God is the creator of all things, the judge of all men, and the eternal ruler of the universe. Over 2,000 years ago, God sent His only son, Jesus Christ, to earth to reconcile all people unto Him. To a sinful world, Jesus preached a message of forgiveness and unconditional love: Just as God loves you unconditionally, He commands you to love Him unconditionally, to unconditionally love your neighbors as yourself, and to obey His commandments; furthermore, if you forgive the sins of others, then God will forgive you of your sins. Jesus was arrested and sentenced to death by those who felt threatened by him and then was nailed to a cross. After three days, he rose from death. He rejoined his followers and then went up to Heaven. He sits at the right hand of God, and he will come again to judge the living and the dead. After his ascension to Heaven, Jesus' followers, or apostles, traveled to Greece, Rome, and many other parts of the world. In these places, they preached Jesus' message, persuaded many other people to follow Jesus, and established churches.

Think about who Jesus Christ is and what he preached, and how it relates to your own life, and then think about these questions: How do you feel about your present relationship with God? How would Jesus judge you today? How would you want Jesus to judge you? How might Jesus help you mend or improve your relationship with God? How might a church, a fellowship of people who are committed to following Jesus, support and encourage your becoming reconciled unto God?

The first step to following Jesus Christ and to joining a church is Baptism. Baptism involves pouring water over a person (or immersing a person in water) in the name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. St. James Episcopal Church will be glad to baptize you. Baptism is one of two sacraments that Christ ordained. A sacrament, by the way, is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. After you have been baptized once, you are eligible to receive the other sacrament, Holy Communion. Holy Communion is the partaking of bread and wine in remembrance of Christ's death, resurrection, and ascension. St. James celebrates Holy Communion almost every Sunday.

Another step to following Jesus Christ is to learn about him from reading the Bible. In the Bible, the book of Luke tells the story of Christ's birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension. The books of Matthew, Mark, and John each tell the same story in different ways. The book of Luke, in fact, is the basis for a video about Jesus that you could watch to supplement your reading. Reading the Bible can be more rewarding when you have the opportunity to discuss it with others. St. James Episcopal Church provides that opportunity at its adult Sunday school and its Wednesday evening Bible study. The Bible also is the foundation of our worship services: the Book of Common Prayer, which provides the script for our worship, is derived from the Bible.

This Web site gives you only a brief introduction to Christianity and to our church. If you would like to learn more about basic Christianity, go to Christianity.net. If you would like to learn more about our church, then we invite you to visit us for a few Sundays and talk to some of our members. Wherever you are in your life, whatever your religious experiences have been, we welcome you. Join us for worship Sunday at 10:00 a.m.

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St. James Episcopal Church
P.O. Box 1887
Monahans, Texas 79756-1887
432-943-3631
http://stjamesmonahans.org