Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Here are a few items regarding the Episcopal Church:
- The Greek word for bishop is Episkopos meaning “overseer.” The Episcopal Church is named such because it follows the tradition of appointing bishops as clerical authorities.
- The Episcopal Church did not exist prior to the American Revolution. When war erupted between the American colonies and England, the American Church broke off from the Church of England and became the Episcopal Church.
- The Book of Common Prayer was established over 350 years ago so that worship was written in the language of the common people.
- One quarter of the US Presidents were Episcopalians. The last three Episcopal presidents were Franklin D. Roosevelt, Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush.
- The ECUSA lift up two creeds as foundational: The Apostles Creed and The Nicene Creed.
- The ECUSA has nine seminaries.
- The Church has its own Podcast hosted by Sandy Milien and the Most Rev. Michael Curry. It is called, “The Way of Love with Bishop Michael Curry.”
- The Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan is one of 109 Dioceses across 17 nations.
- Our Provisional Bishop, the Right Rev. Prince Singh was born and raised in India.
- The Diocese of Western Michigan has 57 congregations with over 8,700 worshiping members.
- Three languages are spoken in congregations of the diocese including English, Spanish and Dinka.
- The Episcopal Church has 2 million members in 7,500 congregations.
- The Anglican Communion has more than 70 million followers.
Now you know!
Have a great week.
Blessings,
Father Dave+