What We Believe
Our Formal Affiliation
St. Brendan's Episcopal Church belongs to the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, one of the 111 dioceses in The Episcopal Church across the USA (as well as in some locations overseas). The Episcopal Church in its turn is a member of the Anglican Communion, partnering with the Church of England and some 44 other churches around the globe in an organization that serves the third largest group of Christians after Roman Catholicism and the Eastern Orthodox churches.
Our Mission Statement
At St. Brendan's we believe in a loving, liberating, and life-giving God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection saved the world. We actively work to tell others about God’s love for every human being and to exemplify that love in our many ministries.
For almost four decades, our Mission Statement has captured in a few words this identity and this vision.
Jesus said, "I have come to give life—life in all its fullness" (John 10:10).
Our mission is the realization of fullness through the worship of God; service to the world; active concern for each other; and education to expand the mind and spirit.
The Mission Statement Reaffirmed
In 2017, St. Brendan's undertook an intensive process of Appreciative Inquiry to help us strategize and to refine our future goals. The following statement emerged at the end of that process:
We reaffirm the Mission Statement as we strive to:
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love and accept all people as our neighbors;
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nurture one another along our spiritual journeys through worship, formation, and community;
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walk beside those with needs, responding to a changing world without ceasing;
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spread the good news of God in Christ and share the good works God is doing at St. Brendan’s.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
As increasing numbers of our sisters and brother in Christ have confronted alienation and, in some cases, outright violence, St. Brendan’s has responded by laying increasing emphasis on the ways in which we live out our baptismal covenant to love our neighbors as ourselves and to respect the dignity of every human being. In its most recent form, our Statement of Inclusivity and Affirmation reads as follows:
St. Brendan's Episcopal Church is an open and welcoming community of faith. We seek to serve God and support each other through worship and faith in action in an atmosphere of love, friendship, and compassion. We celebrate the presence and leadership of all our members, visitors, and friends regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, spirituality, education, income, age or immigration and citizenship status. We work hard to bring attention to diversity and inclusion in everything we do.