Church is not something you go to, it is the family to which you choose to belong
There is one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit
The Holy Trinity after which our church is dedicated tells us as Christian believers that there is one God, who takes the form of three persons: Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
This though can be confusing and even some Christians admit they don't understand it, while many more Christians don't understand it but think they do.
A fundamental Christian doctrine
The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most difficult ideas in Christian thought with which to wrestle, but it is also fundamental to Christian life, because when we speak of the Trinity we are speaking about God in all of his awe, majesty and wonder. Little wonder then that we can become confused.
However, the important thing to remember when thinking about the Holy Trinity is that these three persons of the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit simply tell us about God, telling us what he is like and what he does. Teaching us vital Christian truths about relationships and community, love if you like, the same love Jesus speaks of when he commands us to love God and our neighbour.
This is what we practice at Holy Trinity and all of you no matter who you are or where you live will be welcome at our church.
Also why not become a friend of Holy Trinity Cookridge on Facebook, that way you will receive regular updates and posts about our events and activities as well as being able to view our pictures.
You can do all of this by simply clicking the Facebook Icon below.
This though can be confusing and even some Christians admit they don't understand it, while many more Christians don't understand it but think they do.
A fundamental Christian doctrine
The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most difficult ideas in Christian thought with which to wrestle, but it is also fundamental to Christian life, because when we speak of the Trinity we are speaking about God in all of his awe, majesty and wonder. Little wonder then that we can become confused.
However, the important thing to remember when thinking about the Holy Trinity is that these three persons of the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit simply tell us about God, telling us what he is like and what he does. Teaching us vital Christian truths about relationships and community, love if you like, the same love Jesus speaks of when he commands us to love God and our neighbour.
This is what we practice at Holy Trinity and all of you no matter who you are or where you live will be welcome at our church.
Also why not become a friend of Holy Trinity Cookridge on Facebook, that way you will receive regular updates and posts about our events and activities as well as being able to view our pictures.
You can do all of this by simply clicking the Facebook Icon below.
Catholic in the Church of England
As a Church we would describe ourselves as being in the Catholic tradition of the Church of England, although it is important to point out that we are not Roman Catholic and in fact the word Catholic simply means universal. This means that we are part of God's Church and as a result we believe certain things and worship in a certain way.
As Christians we believe that:
As Christians, we also believe that since Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, all humans are born with original sin, which only Baptism removes. A happier belief is in grace, which is a totally free, unmerited gift from God. Grace is a sharing in the divine and through the grace of God we are inspired by the power of the Holy Spirit to do God’s will, which we do through the Sacraments of the Church gifts also given by God through Jesus Christ.
The Sacraments of which there are seven, is a key belief and the sacraments help us define who we are as Christians as they lead us into an ever deepening relationship with God. If you want to read more about the Sacraments you can do so by clicking here.
The Eucharist, the Mass, or Holy Communion being the most important sacrament of all, because it is here that we receive the body and blood of Christ into our bodies, doing so in the form of consecrated bread and wine. This means that our worship is very important and must be dignified, reverent and worthy of God, incense is used and our priest wears Vestments, but this doesn't mean our worship cannot be fun as well, because we also enjoy a good laugh, we love to sing and children are always very welcome in our church.
Why not come along and see for yourself, you will be made very welcome.
If you want to know more about what Christians believe, please have a look at the creeds.
The Nicene Creed
The Apostles Creed
As Christians we believe that:
- There is only one God.
- Jesus Christ is the Son of God who was sent by the Father to save humankind from sin and death.
- Jesus Christ taught many things, but that his teaching can be summarised, briefly as the love of God and the love of one's neighbour.
- We are as St. Paul taught justified by faith, which means that through our belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and in his death and resurrection, we can have a right relationship with God whose forgiveness was made once and for all through the crucifixion of Christ. The new covenant sealed in the blood of Christ.
- The Holy Trinity is God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Some people confuse this and think that Christians believe in three separate gods, which we don't. We believe that the one God took human form as Jesus Christ and that the same one God is present today in his church through the work of the Holy Spirit, God doing this as to enable our relationship with him and that this is evident in the actions of Christian believers, in the way that we live our lives.
- There is a life after earthly death and while the actual nature of this life is not known, Christians believe that many spiritual experiences in this life help to give them some idea of what eternal life might be like.
- The Communion of Saints, which is a term used in the New Testament is a description of the members of the church. However, the term is also used to describe those Christians who have lived a particularly good and holy life on earth and who now reside in Heaven.
- The formal title of Saint is conferred by the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches through a process called canonisation and we believe that the saints in Heaven can intercede (pray) to God on our behalf.
- Prayer is the means by which Christians communicate with God and prayer is not only about conversations with God and should always involve the reading of scripture, psalms and reflection as we not only ask God for the things we need, but as we also make time to listen to him and the things he expects from us.
- The New Testament records that Jesus taught his disciples how to pray and that he encourages us to address God as Father
- Prayers through Mary, as the mother of God, are central to some churches and form a traditional part of their worship, because Mary is the mother of Jesus and as such she is close to him in a way that only a mother can be.
- The Church is fundamental to their lives as it is the place where they learn, grow, worship and are nurtured.
- The Church is also the place where Christians are received into the faith through Baptism and later through Confirmation becoming full members brought together into one body through the Eucharist.
As Christians, we also believe that since Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, all humans are born with original sin, which only Baptism removes. A happier belief is in grace, which is a totally free, unmerited gift from God. Grace is a sharing in the divine and through the grace of God we are inspired by the power of the Holy Spirit to do God’s will, which we do through the Sacraments of the Church gifts also given by God through Jesus Christ.
The Sacraments of which there are seven, is a key belief and the sacraments help us define who we are as Christians as they lead us into an ever deepening relationship with God. If you want to read more about the Sacraments you can do so by clicking here.
The Eucharist, the Mass, or Holy Communion being the most important sacrament of all, because it is here that we receive the body and blood of Christ into our bodies, doing so in the form of consecrated bread and wine. This means that our worship is very important and must be dignified, reverent and worthy of God, incense is used and our priest wears Vestments, but this doesn't mean our worship cannot be fun as well, because we also enjoy a good laugh, we love to sing and children are always very welcome in our church.
Why not come along and see for yourself, you will be made very welcome.
If you want to know more about what Christians believe, please have a look at the creeds.
The Nicene Creed
The Apostles Creed