Our Practices

Our practices reflect what we believe to be those of the Gospel and the Church throughout the ages. They are simple, yet profound, and are what we strive to embody as a church. Everything St. Aidan’s is or hopes to be as a community is encapsulated in these core practices.

Worship

Our fundamental call as Christians is to give thanks to God, who in Jesus Christ has saved us from sin and death and given us all things. Worship is central to how we express this deep gratitude. Sunday liturgy (from the Greek leitourgia, “work of the people”) is the cornerstone, where we hear the Word read and preached and raise our prayers to God, and receive back from him in the Eucharist or Communion. Our worship seeks to be beautiful, and reflective of who we are as a congregation. It is ordered, but we hope vibrant, drawing all into an encounter with God together.

Community

Christianity is intrinsically communal. Jesus did not save isolated individuals, but a church, a community of believers who share burdens and joys together. In our fragmented society, community does not come naturally or easily. At St. Aidan’s, we seek to embody the faith together through eating together, serving together, and celebrating together. We have regular church work days focused on our property and make eating together as a “family meal” a regular part of our life together. Formation in the faith through catechesis (from catecheo, “teaching”) is also an aspect of our community life, as we learn, discuss, and grow in our faith as a body.

Mission

God is a God of mission, who comes to humanity in order to draw us into life. Christians are called to participate in that mission, through proclaiming the good news of Jesus, and through serving each other and their neighbors in love. Mission for us involves individual interactions in day-to-day life, church efforts to connect with our neighbors, and serving our community through service and sharing of resources. One of the concerns for St. Aidan’s is place or locality; of course anyone is welcome to St. Aidan’s regardless where they live, but location does matter, and so our pastor is located in the church neighborhood, and encourages others to find ways to be present locally as well. God is at work throughout the world, but he gives each person, and each church, their own place to labor in, and so we seek to be a transformative presence where we are. This allows us to know our neighbors, to know the needs of our small corner of the world, so we can adapt our living-out of the Gospel to the people God has placed us among. God has called St. Aidan’s to this place, south Spokane, and so that is where we seek to do our part for the Kingdom, through proclamation, service, and faithful presence.