Welcome to St. Paul's Episcopal Parish! We've been welcoming people to the Episcopal alternative in faith for more than two hundred years since Henderson was founded. We've used the communications techniques of the time from the start. At first it was just by word of mouth. That's when Henderson founder, Samual Hopkins, an Episcopalian, conducted worship in his cabin from the Bible and the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer opening his home to his neighbors. Then the first Episcopal priest in Henderson that we know of came in 1806 not only to conduct services but also to start the first school in Henderson. We were well enough organized to be officially recognized as a parish in the 1830's and our present building was built in the 1850's.
The Episcopal alternative is an expression of the Christian faith that welcomes all people without conditions. Just as Christ welcomed all, so we welcome you no matter how many times you may have been born. We welcome you no matter what your history was or your present is. We won't "lay a guilt trip" on you. God made you and in our understanding God doesn't make any "throw away" people. We believe that you count no matter who your are and we welcome you as a part of who we hope to be as a parish family serving in God's name.
We worship in the centuries old forms of the Book of Common Prayer adapted to our times. While we have made changes in language and national setting through the years it would be fair to say that Shakespeare would find our Sunday worship familiar as did the family of John James Audubon when they came to Henderson and were part of the Episcopal congregation.
We are a tolerant and open community of faith. We exact no dogma or doctrinal statement from those who would be with us in this effort to be the leaven for social health and Godly goodwill in our world. We follow only the ancient Creeds of the Church which have been confirmed by the whole Christian Church from its earliest times. We seek to understand faith and morals using what we call "a three legged stool" of Scriptures, the Tradition of people of faith through the centuries, and Human Reason. We do not scare people into beliefs nor actions by threatening Hell nor "end times." We do not believe that the future has been irreversably set. Rather, we believe that God acts in time and that we and God are moral agents who have options in our choices.
