The Diocese of St Asaph Beliefs

We believe that the church exists for three things:

• To grow FAITH
• To bring HOPE
• To demonstrate LOVE

These themes are there in the New Testament, in the teaching of Jesus and in the life of the early church. They are there in the letters of Paul and in the Acts of the Apostles.

Faith

We begin with the idea of faith. We come to church in order to encounter God and so as we focus our life we can ask the questions:

• How much do people feel they’re having a real encounter with God?
• Are they being blessed?
• Is their faith being deepened when they come to our worship?
• Are those who visit us given the chance to drink in the peace and holiness of our ancient churches, the beauty of our worship and to receive an experience of God’s goodness?
• If people want to learn how to pray more successfully or to learn more about what it is to believe the Christian faith and to follow Jesus, where in our churches do they find those resources?

We exist to grow faith. But I also believe that the Christian community ought to a place of hope.

Hope

We ought to be optimistic about the future. After all, we believe in the God who holds the future, who is in control of our destinies and who offers the gift of eternal life; an eternal life which starts now. So, are we as Christians, are we as a diocesan family, people who are optimistic, who touch the lives of those around us, bringing the promise of hope and joy and love and peace with us? Do we grow faith? And do we bring hope?

Love

And finally, our faith should never be about words. Our faith should be about action and in Jesus we see the person who concentrates not on the religious, not on the wealthy, not on the proud but on the poor, on those who mourn, on those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. On the children, on the widows, on those on the edge of society, on the poorest and the outcast. Are we a church that demonstrates love? Are people helped by the work we do? Are people enabled to become more themselves because we love them? So, these are the focuses for our future.

We are called, you and I, to be people who grow faith, who bring hope and who demonstrate love.

These are the three core values which we have to represent and live into, to be a people who are growing faith, bringing hope and demonstrating love. For this, thanks be to God, Amen.