Grace Church is a parish within the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma. This means that Grace is part of the Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion, whose members trace their spiritual lineage to the Church of England. Grace was the first Episcopal parish founded in Indian Territory in 1893.

Anglicans, as members of the Anglican Communion are generally called, encounter God’s love and truth through Scripture, Tradition, and Reason. The Anglican tradition emphasizes patience and tolerance, and generous participation in the cultural life of the local community and the world.

We profess two principal creeds in the Episcopal Church: the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed. The Apostles Creed is the ancient creed of Baptism. The Nicene Creed summarizes the beliefs of Christians.

The Three-Legged Stool

– adapted from a page on the site of St. Mary's Episcopal Church
   in Andalusia, Alabama

Our Episcopal faith has been likened to a three legged stool, which rests on all three legs equally. If any one of them is removed, the stool topples over. These three legs are Scripture, Tradition, and Reason.

Scripture
Scripture is the word of God contained in the Old and New testaments of the Bible. The Old Testament contains the story of God's love from Creation up to the birth of his son, Jesus Christ. They contain God's laws as he gave them to the Hebrew people. The New Testament contains Christ's teachings, the accounts of his life as told by his followers, and the beginnings of his church. Within an Episcopal worship service, Scripture is read in the lessons which are part of our liturgy. Two thirds of our guide to worship, the Book of Common Prayer, comes directly from the Bible.

Tradition
We are not Christians in isolation but are part of a living faith that spans 2000 years. Tradition is the embodiment of our experience as Christians throughout these centuries. The heart of our tradition is expressed in the Bible, the Creeds (statements of faith written in the first centuries of the church's existence), the Sacraments (the Lord's Supper and Baptism), and the work of the ordained ministry passed on by Christ to his Church. Our tradition is expressed with many voices, among which are a variety of worship styles, languages, cultures, architecture, and music. Our tradition encourages this diversity. We seek to value the life and story each person can bring to the community of faith. As in a multitextured tapestry, each person's offering is woven into the life of the whole, making it stronger and more beautiful.

Reason
Reason is our experiences in this material world and the natural laws that science has shown us with its empirical and logical methods. Each one of us, with God's help, makes a decision according to reason about how we use tradition and scripture in our lives. The gift of reason, as a complement to scripture and tradition, leads us to seek answers to our own questions and to grow spiritually, and not to go down a path of blind extremism. Being active in a community of faith strengthens us to carry our faith into the world. Weaving scripture, tradition, and reason together, we strengthen our faith and grow as children of God.

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.