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Who we are:
Church of the Good Shepherd is an Anglican Church within the Diocese of San Joaquin. In
the Anglican Church a diocese is a collection of congregations under the authority of a bishop
within a certain geographical area. The diocese is the fundamental unit of structure of the
Anglican Church. Every diocese is the seat of a bishop. In general, a diocese contains many
parishes and churches, and normally dioceses are combined into larger administrative units
called Provinces and National Churches. On June 22-24, 2009 the Diocese of San Joaquin joined
many other Orthodox Anglicans and became a part of the Anglican Church in North America
(ACNA).
What we believe:
For a detailed description of what Anglicans believe please read An Outline of the Faith,
commonly called the Catechism. Every week Anglicans profess the Nicene Creed as a statement
of faith, first articulated by the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D., as taken from
the Book of Common Prayer (BCP):
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 and the Son. 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.
