The whole of Christianity is based around the person of Jesus, his teachings about God, and about how you should live your life. Christians believe in The Trinity, that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God the Father is the Creator of life; God the Son is Jesus the Redeemer who was sacrificed for people's sins so that they could have a relationship with God; and God the Holy Spirit is the Sustainer of life, sent to earth at Pentecost after Jesus had ascended to heaven, giving Christians the power to carry on God's work. Christians pray to the Father, through the Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

A typical Anglican Church with tower, nave and chancel – built on an east-west axis.

So what does it mean to be an Anglican?

A Christian who belongs to The Church of England and worships in the Established Church. The authority of the church does not lie with an infallible person, but is much more diffuse within the local church. However, it relies upon authorised liturgy as a mark of the distinctiveness of the Anglican Church.

The Anglican Church is based on the parochial system. The country is divided into parishes, and every parish is in a diocese. There are forty-three dioceses in total in England and Wales. The Bishop is the chief pastor or shepherd of the diocese. Priests lead parish churches under the Bishop's jurisdiction or licence.

A Priest at the altar. The Reverend David Miller

Each church is run by a Parochial Church Council, whose members are responsible for the building, and, more importantly, for ensuring the worship is conducted according to authorised provision.

Some of the central tenets of faith include accepting the truth of Holy Scripture as received by the Church of England.

In our two parishes of St Andrew, Shifnal, and St Mary's, Sheriffhales, we say The Nicene Creed at each Eucharist. Eucharist is a Greek word meaning thanksgiving. Some churches within the Anglican Communion use other words for this central act of worship which can be called Mass, Holy Communion or The Lord's Supper. This is a summary of the Church's belief in God as received by the universal catholic church. Other forms of affirmation of faith are also acceptable for use.

The Chancel Altar from which the Eucharist is served.

In the church the Word of God and The Blessed Sacrament go hand in hand. One is not promoted above the other. The famous Anglican, David C K Watson, who died of cancer, said that 'All word and no Spirit - we dry up. All Spirit and no word - we blow up. But word and Spirit together - we grow up!'

The Holy Eucharist is celebrated in our church every day, at different times. There must be at least two people present for the priest to celebrate.

Morning and Evening Prayer are said each day by the incumbent and curate. Others may also join them from time to time.

Belonging to The Anglican Church is clearly seen in its Rites of Passage; Birth, Marriage and Death.

Baptism

Baptism is seen as entrance into the church, which is why the font is situated near the door. In our two churches, infants and young children are baptised with water which has been blessed. Our policy of baptism is that all are welcomed to be baptised. The parents have to attend a church service on the first Sunday of the month, attend Baptism preparation classes on the first Tuesday of the month, led by the curate and a team of lay people. They attend the Baptism service on the third Sunday of the month, and bring the newly baptized to a Sunday service on the fourth Sunday of the month to receive their baptism certificates and be welcomed into the family of the church, usually to a round of applause.

Anglican Baptism: a font where children are baptised and children receiving baptism certificates

If the children are from the church family, then the baptism takes place in the main morning service. We usually have four to five babies baptized each month. As they bring their family and friends with them it usually means the afternoon baptism service numbers are around the two hundred mark!

Later on in their Christian life, children, young people and adults make a decision to confirm the faith which has been all around them since they were babies. They do this publicly by becoming confirmed by the Bishop. They have to attend a series of classes for a number of weeks beforehand in preparation. At the Confirmation service, the Bishop lays his hands on the heads of each one being confirmed and prays that they will receive the Holy Spirit with the words: 'confirm thy servant x!'. At our church it is traditional for a parish breakfast to be held on the day of the confirmation services to which the Bishop is invited. The priest normally wears a white stole for this sacrament.

Confirmation Preparation Class

Marriage

At a Church of England wedding, the priest is also the official registrar. For the wedding to be legal, the banns of marriage are read three times at three different services before the marriage takes place. The couple attend several marriage preparation classes led by the priest who will marry them.

In a church wedding, the couple make vows to each other in the presence of their family and friends and in the presence of God. If the church has bells, as ours does, then bells are rung to celebrate the happy occasion if that is the wish of the newly weds. The priest normally wears a white stole to signify a feast.

Funerals

Death is the one certain thing about life. Christians believe that a funeral service enables families and friends to say goodbye to the dead person and hand them over to God. Dying is like a gateway leading to a new place.

Afterwards the Committal to God's safe keeping can take place in two ways. There can be an interment or burial in the churchyard, or the body can be cremated at the local crematorium, depending on the family and the deceased's wishes. The priest normally wears a purple stole for funerals. However, in some Anglican churches, a black scarf is worn.

There are many ways for Christians to grow and develop in their relationship with God - and use the gifts God has given to them.

They may feel called to be a member of the PCC, the Church's Council. They may be a Reader, a lay person who is trained to officiate at services - pray, read lessons, preach, or assist with the administration of the chalice at The Holy Eucharist.

They may help with Young Church or help run the youth work, be in a liturgical dance group, choir, or worship group.

One church member might take on a particular charity, such as Christian Aid, and encourage everyone to fill a shoe box with gifts to send to Eastern Europe for deprived children and young people. Operation Christmas Child has helped hundreds of refugees in Azarbijan, orphans in Russia, and the injured and homeless in Croatia.

Elderly people may be helped to church by the more able giving them lifts, or helped to walk up to the altar for the Holy Eucharist. The vicar or curate will take Home Communion to the housebound if they so request it. They will also visit people in hospital.

It is important that all feel they have something to give.
At the All Age Service at St Mary's Sheriffhales, it is traditional for everyone to play instruments in the last hymn.

On Good Friday afternoon there are workshops at St Andrews for children to learn about the cross where Jesus died. These include Godly Play where a sacred space is created for adults and children to wonder together, and then share what they have done in action songs, praising God for his love in sending Jesus to die on the cross so we could be friends with God.

At the patronal festival, so called after the patron saint to whom the church is dedicated, there are special services. At St Andrew's there is a fair on the Saturday nearest St Andrew's Day (30 November) when lunches are served and there are craft stalls to raise money. In 2004 one thousand pounds was raised in three hours.
On St Andrew's Night there is a special service followed by cheese and wine to which the local Caledonian Society are invited. (St Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland.) The curate and his wife are both members of the local Caledonian Society.

Different colours are seen in church at different times of the year. The colours are reflected in the altar cloths, the pulpit fall, and the vestments the clergy wear. The celebrant will wear a chasuble and the preacher a stole over a white alb in our churches. In some Anglican churches the colours of the Church year will not be so obvious. The colours however do help the congregation to make connections with the cycle of the seasons. Purple is the colour for Advent, white or gold for feasts and Christmas and Epiphany season right through to Candlemas in early February. Lent's colour is purple which signifies a getting ready time to celebrate the great mysteries of Easter and Christmas. As Easter is such a great mystery the Easter season lasts until Ascension when Jesus returned to heaven. Pentecost comes next which is red, then Trinity, then lots of green growing Sundays until we come to Christ the King which completes the Church year.
It's all very colourful!