From The Pastor…
Welcome to St. Paul’s and thank you for visiting our web pages. We are glad you are here and want you to know that if there is any-thing we can do to help you in your journey it would be a privilege to walk together in the Way of Christ. We may not have all the answers but we know the One who does and we are seeking Him together in this great adventure.
We are a parish of the Anglican Mission in America (AMiA) and our bishop is the Right Rev. Chuck Murphy. The AMiA is a mission of the Anglican provinces of Rwanda and South East Asia under the oversight of the archbishops of these provinces, The Most Revs. Emmanuel Mbona Kolini and Datuk Yong Ping-Chung. This is a real and living partnership in the gospel between these provinces and the AMiA. Our bishops are members of the houses of bishops of both provinces and participate fully in the lives of these provinces.
The AMiA was formed in 2000 in response to a plea from many parishes, lay people and clergy in the United States for episcopal oversight by godly, orthodox bishops. These provinces heard that call and are committed to the re-evangeli-zation of North America led by those who are the beneficiaries of the mission work of the past 100 years and are now returning the favor. We are proud of this partnership and it is our joy to be part of this mission.
From the start, St. Paul’s has been a parish for western North Carolina and we are excited about the future and the vision God has given us for multiple parishes in these mountains and hills. It is our desire to see the Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ celebrated and proclaimed throughout the region in order that He might do the work of drawing all people to Himself.
St. Paul’s mission is simple, to be obedient to the Great Commission of Matthew 28.19-20: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
We are proud of our Anglican heritage and believe it to be a place to stand in order to accomplish this mission. We are also open to the movement of the Holy Spirit in our day with respect to music and liturgy and believe that this is in keeping with Jesus’ statement, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.” (Matthew 13.52)
If you have any questions, please ask them, we are not afraid of questions. I would be happy to talk with you at your convenience as well.
John Greene
Sr. Pastor
St. Paul’s Church