Our faith
We are Christian
First and foremost, we believe in Jesus Christ. This is expressed through our weekly worship in the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed. We believe that the Holy Scriptures contain all things necessary for our salvation. We celebrate the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, and we share this heritage with Christians from every denomination, every part of the world, and every age of history. In this way, we are part of the one, holy, 'catholic' (or 'universal') church, begun by Christ and His twelve Apostles and continuing to this day.
We are Anglican and Episcopalian
Anglican: We have historical roots in the Church of England, and we remain connected to Anglican Christians throughout the world, bound together by our common heritage of worship and theology, and by our special relationship of communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury. Anglican Christians walk the middle way (in Latin, the Via Media) between medieval Roman Catholicism and other reformed groups such as Lutherans and Calvinists. We call ourselves 'Protestant' because we still 'protest' against some of the abuses of the medieval Roman Catholic church. Yet we consider ourselves 'catholic' in that we continue traditions of doctrine, worship, and practice handed down to the English church when it was still part of the one catholic church.
Episcopal: As the American branch of the historic Anglican Communion, the Episcopal Church has always believed that the church should be governed by bishops (the Greek word for bishop is episkopos). However, we also value the leadership of non-ordained people in the church's work and worship. We express our beliefs through the historically Anglican prayers, theology and liturgy found in the American Book of Common Prayer, published in 1979.
The Core Values of St. Peter's Church
1. Confess Jesus as Christ through our worship, our works of service, and our friendships, walking in the footsteps of St. Peter and many others who share our faith.
2. Beautiful Worship in the Anglican tradition that includes choral music, traditional liturgy, and engaging Biblical teaching in our historic church building.
3. Friendly Community that welcomes people of all backgrounds and perspectives into a united place of belonging.
4. Spiritual Foundation for children and adults to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ through study, prayer, service, and play.
5. Do Justice and Works of Mercy among our neighbors in Albany through our mission partners and other churches.