St. Thomas a'Becket

Kerigma

St. Thomas a' Becket Anglican Church

St. Thomas is an independent Anglican church. Reverend Joel Osborne serves as our priest, Ms. Colette Daniels serves as our Secretary, and Mrs. Betty Stringer is our Treasurer. Our congregation numbers forty-five members, but we are confident that God will grant us growth as we live and worship in His light and truth.

Our worship is based on the 1979 Episcopal Book of Common Prayer. Our music is drawn from the 1940 and the 1982 Hymnal and from contemporary praise songs. Our worship is Charismatic in the truest meaning. Any time we gather in Jesus' Holy Name, we expect the Holy Spirit to make His Blessed Presence known. This does not mean that you will see healings and miracles, or hear tongues at every meeting; we always grant God the freedom to bless our service as He sees fit, and not as we do. There are no rules that the Holy Spirit must abide by; instead we abide by His Holy rule. At the present time, we gather at 10:30 AM on Sunday mornings at Miss Libby's School Of Dance at 155 W Wesmark Blvd, Sumter, SC (Map). We usually have a short fellowship before the Service at 11:00 AM and we are normally through at 12:30 PM. Come and join us once or twice or forever! We would love to have you! May God Bless and Keep you in the Palm of His Holy Hand.

Joel Osborne
Priest
St. Thomas a' Becket

About our Church

"A cord of three strands is not quickly broken..."

These words from Ecclesiastes 4:12 are in a passage that speaks of the strength and unity found in diversity. From the time of Christ, His Church has always been a "cord of three strands." These three basic expressions of Christianity have continued throughout the pages of church history. Today, as never before, these three distinct expressions of faith are being braided into one strong cord. By celebrating the best of the Church in history and combining that with the Spirit's renewing and re-gathering work, we can open the full deposit of the Father's old and new treasures to His people.

Historical / Sacramental

From the beginnings of the Church after the resurrection of Christ, many men and women have faithfully served the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church (catholic: meaning in accord with the universal Church from the beginning). From the richness of our historic heritage we are currently seeing a recovery of the beauty and authenticity of the ancient liturgies, symbols of worship and the regular celebration of the Holy Communion, which the early Christians observed weekly. While some have looked at these early liturgies and called them "dead form," we have found that forms are neither dead nor alive, but only true or false; it is the people who are either dead or alive spiritually. What we are discovering are true forms that can be used by people who are spiritually alive.

Evangelical

As a precious possession of the Christian faith, we hold to the Holy Scriptures as the inspired, infallible Word of God and that they contain all things necessary to salvation and godly living. We are committed to faithful reading, studying, teaching and preaching from the Bible as a wellspring for spiritual maturity. We also embrace the Evangelical distinctive that underlines the importance of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, a holy life, evangelism and missions.

Charismatic

A distinguishing mark of our church is our openness to the work of the Holy Spirit. God's people have always been a spiritually gifted people. From the apostles all the way through the modern Pentecostal and Charismatic movements, Christians have been endowed with power beyond themselves...from the Holy Spirit Himself. This means we not only allow, but anticipate, His presence and working through His spiritual gifts, both in our worship and daily acts of service.

Blending of these Streams

We believe God is doing something very special in our day. In churches across our nation and around the world, He is removing religious barriers and braiding together the three strands of the church into one strong cord. This is the commitment of our church, where in our worship and approach to faith, we are seeking to express all three elements together. We are honored to be a part of God's great renewal in His Church.