But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ… So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:13, 19-22*

St. Mark’s Anglican Church is a part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church instituted by Jesus Christ. The word “Anglican”, meaning “English” in Latin, refers to our spiritual heritage and roots in the Church of England. The Church is the Body of which Jesus Christ is the Head, and all baptized people are the members.  The Church is described from old as being:  

ONE: because it is one Body under One Head;

HOLY: because the Holy Spirit dwells in it, and sanctifies its members;

CATHOLIC: because it is universal, holding earnestly the Faith for all time, in all countries, and for all people; and is sent to preach the Gospel to the whole world;

APOSTOLIC: because it continues steadfastly in the Apostle’s teaching and fellowship.

Traders, merchants and soldiers seem to have brought the Christian Faith to Britain shortly after it became part of the Roman Empire, in the middle of the First Century AD. Sixteen hundred years later, during what we call the Reformation, the Church of England emerged as a unique institution. It retained its "Catholic" heritage enshrined in the Creeds, the decisions of the General Councils, its liturgy and sacraments, and its the threefold ministry of bishops, priests and deacons in Apostolic Succession. It "reformed" itself by eliminating some nonessential accretions of the later medieval Church, by restoring much of the practice of the earliest Christians, and by insisting upon the authority of Holy Scripture as the rule and guide of Faith.  St. Mark’s Anglican Church is proud to continue this unique tradition in today’s world.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one.  For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.  I Corinthians 12:4-6, 12*