St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Nurture your Soul ... Engage your Mind ... Fill your Heart

In 1868, a group of devout Episcopalians in Macon, seeking a more open, inclusive and joyful worship, gathered together to form St. Paul's Church.  They had three objectives:

• First, the weekly Eucharist as the highest act of worship.
  
• Second, the weekly offering as the means of supporting the Ministry.
  
• Third, an open church and free seats for the use of all worshippers.

--from the first annual report by the Rev. Henry K. Rees, 1870

Since 1868 we have tried to keep the spirit of these objectives.  The weekly Eucharist draws us together as a people of disciplined Thanksgiving.  Membership in the church denotes the responsibility of using each person's gifts for the ministry of this church.  And, all persons, regardless of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, or number of times of birth, are welcome to join us in worshipping God inside and outside these walls.  Diverse and heavily involved in outreach ministry, we remain a church that bucks the trend toward homogeneity and escape from the world.  We invite you to join us!

The Episcopal Church in America is descended from the Church of England, and therefore, from the first century Christians who gathered to follow the teachings of Jesus.  There are traditions and legends about Christians as early as the first century who traveled to the British Isles and established worshipping communities within the first two centuries after Christ.  By the third century missionaries from Rome began arriving in the British Isles.

We are catholic, meaning universal and from the one church, and apostolic, meaning we trace our history through the line of those who have gone before us all the way back to Christ.  Our worship is centered in the Eucharist because of the commandment Christ gave to the disciples on the night before he died.  Using the historic Book of Common Prayer, we are a people of prayer.

Our theology and worship are grounded in the goodness of creation, a loving, forgiving God, the good news of God in Christ, the nourishment of the sacraments and our unity as a praying people.  Guided by scripture, tradition and reason, we try to live in ways that are pleasing to God by living out the promises made at our baptism: "...loving our neighbors...and...respecting the dignity of every human being."  We stress the loving, responsible use of all the resources God has given us as we respond the gospel.

St. Paul's is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, and the worldwide Anglican Communion.  We welcome all people through these doors, for worship, study, fellowship and service.

Life can be baffling and lonely sometimes; we invite you to join us as we seek to live life to the fullest even in the midst of things we cannot understand.  At St. Paul's, your questions and doubts are as welcome as your answers and experience.  We are active and varied, and there are many ways that you can serve and be served here.

  |    |   Share