Top Ten Reasons to be an Episcopalian

In pursuing the purpose of ministry, YOS will be discovering the image of God within.

    In Western culture, the ubiquity of self-hate, which leads to suicide, violence, drugs and sexual abuse (especially among youth) is often perpetuated by the Christian church’s insistence on the utter sinfulness and unworthiness of the individual.

    As Episcopalians of the worldwide Anglican communion, we are not afraid to learn from other faith traditions in order to recover a more positive anthropology. The ancient Vedantic wisdom of the Hindus espouses an indwelling of the divine within each individual.  Teaching youth ahimsa, as Gandhi understood it, as “the basic respect for every man [and woman] as an image of God in whom the universal spirit dwells” may prove effective in helping young people grow into mature adults who can love others as well as themselves. In addition, teaching youth ahimsa proves to be the same as teaching youth a concept that coincides with Eastern Orthodoxy, which also upholds man and woman as made in the image of God. Emphasizing the divine stamp on each human being invites the human community to not only love themselves but journey together on the quest of discovering the divine, who mysteriously dwells both within and among humanity.

    Confirmation Class and Sunday Morning Prayer will focus on discovering the image of God within the individual while also discerning and discovering our gifts for ministry and service.