St. Paul’s has stood on the corner of W. Market and Kenilworth in West Akron since 1952, when it moved from the east side of town where it began in 1844. We are a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, the third largest communion in the world (though small in the USA) of 85 million worshipers, and a member of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio. Anglican comes from the Latin word for England. It refers to our origin in the Church of England, from which our form of worship, though updated, comes.
We are Christians, striving to be faithful witnesses to the redeeming love of God made known in Jesus Christ in our worship, service, proclamation, communal life, and more. Our heritage shows itself in many ways. Here are some of them, noticeable Sunday by Sunday.
Word and Sacrament
Our worship is sacramental. We give a high profile to both Word and Sacrament, the reading of Scripture and preaching, along with the celebration of Holy Communion. At each worship service, we hear readings from the Old Testament, Psalms, Epistles and Gospels that follow a set rotation found in a three-year cycle called The Lectionary. This ensures that eventually we hear almost all of the Bible! We call communion “Eucharist” from the Greek word for “thanksgiving” which reminds us that our whole life should be one great big thanksgiving to God for the redemptive love of God extended to us in Christ.
The Church Community is a Communion
We have rich historic roots that make us part of a larger family that stretches across the globe today, and back through time. The ancient creeds—the Apostles, Nicene, and Athanasian creeds—provide a framework for our thinking, and our worship follows the wise order of The Book of Common Prayer, a literary and theological gem indebted to Thomas Cranmer, a 15th century English Reformer.
We trust the Holy Spirit is leading us to be in communion with one another and to learn how we can, more and more, follow the Great Commission of Jesus to make disciples of all people, as we ourselves become more faithful disciples!.
A Rich Choral Tradition
We have inherited a rich tradition of beautiful and inspiring music for choral and congregational singing. Our choir supports congregational singing, and offers its own praise of God in our major services. St. Paul’s has a long history of gifted and dedicated musicians and singers, and solid music programs for children and youth. We print out the whole service at our major services to enable participation by everyone.
A Dynamic and Broad Church
Our music, the Bible, and The Book of Common Prayer combine to give us a dynamic Christ-centered, content-rich expression of the Christian faith. While holding to the basic essentials of the Christian faith, Anglicanism has always allowed a breadth of practices and opinions by individual members, and welcomed questions and thoughtful exploration. The motto here is: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”
We offer courses on Anglican-Episcopal practices, beliefs, and identity from time to time, and our book carts display some of the best writing on these topics.