St. James Episcopal Church
Monahans, Texas

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then The Episcopal Church may appeal to you. Episcopalians rely on Scripture, reason, and tradition to guide their practice of Christianity. The Bible is the foundation of Episcopal worship and belief. The Episcopal Church believes that the Bible contains all things necessary for salvation, and the Church cannot assert or ordain anything that does not agree with the Scriptures. These and other guidelines for understanding the Bible are found in our Articles of Religion. The Articles provide a well-reasoned framework for understanding what the Bible says about our relationship with God through His son, Jesus Christ.

The way that Episcopalians express their faith in worship is rich in tradition. Our worship services closely resemble those of the ancient Churches. In fact, the styles of vestments that Episcopal priests wear originated in the Second Century, A.D. Worship that follows a prayer book also originated from the ancient Church. When conducted by the Book of Common Prayer, worship proceeds in an orderly and dignified manner, conforms to Biblical truth, and invites your participation. The prayer book also contains the Lectionary, which assigns three Bible lessons---Old Testament, Gospel, and Epistle---and a Psalm for each Sunday. Over a cycle of three years, the lessons from the Lectionary expose us to a wide range of Biblical teaching. This system also prevents priests from over-emphasizing their favorite passages of Scripture.

Episcopal traditions can be fun, too! One of these traditions is the pancake supper on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent begins. Another tradition, coffee hour, is held every Sunday after worship. Coffee hour gives you an opportunity to chat with other churchgoers in the parish hall.

Although The Episcopal Church may be different from the denomination to which you now belong, it recognizes your baptism if it was performed with water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Having been baptized in this way makes you eligible to receive Communion. St. James celebrates Holy Communion almost every Sunday. Holy Communion and Baptism are sacraments that Christ himself ordained. A sacrament, by the way, is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. The Church itself has ordained another sacrament, Confirmation, where a baptized person affirms their faith in the presence of a bishop. The Episcopal Church urges all of its members to be confirmed.

This Web page gives you only a brief introduction to St. James in Monahans and to The Episcopal Church. If you want to learn more about Episcopal worship and belief, go to this page. 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 church experience has 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