HOME- Thinking about visiting our St. Stephen's?
First of all,
we'd love to have you. We're a welcoming group of people who always
enjoy visitors from next door or across the world.
- Here's where to find us.
- Here's a schedule of our worship services.
-
- About the Episcopal Church
- St. Stephen's is an Episcopal Church. The
Episcopal Church is the American descendant of the Church of England
and is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Episcopal Church
represents a balance of Roman Catholic traditions with the insights of
the Protestant Reformation. We maintain the historic three-fold
ministry of bishops, priests and deacons; and these ministries include
married and single persons, both male and female.
- The word "episcopos" is Greek for
'overseer,' and in the first decades after Christ's resurrection, His
disciples and those whom they named as their successors quickly came to
be called 'episcopos.' (To see how
'episcopos' became 'bishop', click here.) Today, our bishops are
the successors to the apostles, a visible symbol of the continuity of
the faith we have received from the first apostles.
- Beyond Iowa, St. Stephen's is part of the
Episcopal Church in the United States. Our roots are in the Church of
England congregations in the American colonies. Many of the Founding
Fathers of this country were also leaders in the organization of the
Episcopal Church in America. It is not surprising, therefore, that our
church's constitution, our canon law, and the structure of our
deliberative bodies resemble the US Constitution and legislative
structures.
- Outside of our national borders, we are part
of the worldwide Anglican Communion, with its spiritual center in the
Church of England. All Anglican churches in the world share a heritage
and theology from the unique experience of the English church. The Book of Common
Prayer, along with a deeply held commitment to the historic Christian
faith in scripture, creed, ministry, and sacraments are the foundations
of that experience.
- Self descriptions aside, the best way to
understand the Episcopal Church is to enter its life. Go to its
services and follow the Prayer Book. The Episcopal Church is most of
all a worshiping church. The worship of Almighty God - and the impact
such worship has on our relationship with the rest of creation - is the
one great work of the Church and the one great argument for its
existence.
-
- Here are some links that are full of
information for those who are new to the Episcopal Church:
- Episcopal
Church Visitor Center
-
- Episcopal Life: An independently edited, officially sponsored monthly newspaper of the Episcopal Church, offering news of regional, national and international events, feature articles on Christian ministry, personal profiles, columns on theological opinion and reflection, a forum for dialogue, book and film reviews and a monthly column by the presiding bishop.
- Other links we like:
- The Lectionary Page The complete current Sunday Lectionary in a simple calendar format.
- The Bible Gateway Searches for words, phrases, and passages from several different Bible translations, including the New International Version, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, and New English Version.
One of the basic facts of history is that langage changes over time. Sounds become different sounds, letters drop off or get added, and new social circumstances produce new words and usages. Follow the following steps to see how the Greek word 'episcopos' became the English word 'bishop.'
1. Fast speakers or lazy speakers tend to drop vowel sounds at the beginnings of words. Drop off the opening 'e' and you have 'piscopos.'
2. Some groups of letters change their sound over time. The 'sc' combination has been subject to this -- for instance, in the word 'discipline' in which the 'c' is not heard. In 'episcopos', the 'sc' took on the English 'sh' sound; this leaves us with 'pishopos.'
3. Letter sounds that are related often get substituted for each other. For instance, you hold your mouth and tongue in the same way to make the sounds for 'p' and 'b.' The only difference is that 'p' uses only your breath while 'b' uses your voice. Sound out the letters 'p' (puh) and 'b' (buh) over and over and you'll hear this; or try to whisper the word 'busboy' and you'll hear yourself whispering 'pusspoy.' So the voiced sound 'b' got substituted for the unvoiced sound 'p', and this leaves us with 'bishopos.'
4. Parts of words that sound distinctive to a particular language will often be dropped when that language is used by non-native speakers. The '-os' ending in 'episcopos' is a common Greek ending and was probably dropped as the Greek words were imported into Latin-speaking Rome, and later the emerging European languages. Drop the final '-os' and we have transformed 'episcopos' into 'bishop.'
 |
|
|