CHURCH HISTORY

St. Timothy’s Church

HISTORY OF

During the summer of 1999, a group of traditional and orthodox Christians began to look for such a church in Jonesboro, Arkansas. We searched and eventually found such a church perfectly suited to what was missing in Northeast Arkansas. But the church was in Memphis, TN.

We visited St. James Anglican Church, a Reformed Episcopal Parish, for a few months and found it to be a match to our own beliefs. This next step was to get an Anglican Church planted in Jonesboro. The quest began the following year.

The Presiding Bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church in Katy, Texas, the Right Reverend Royal Grote, and the Memphis priest Fr. Brad Cunningham were invited to visit us. We were impressed with the solid belief in Holy Scripture and Traditional and orthodox teaching. A short time later, St. Timothy's was established as a mission church under the structure of the Reformed Episcopal Church, now within the Anglican Communion of the Anglican Church in North America.

Within a year, St. Timothy's membership grew to become a self-sustaining parish. During the first year our services were held at the chapel at St. Bernards Village. Shortly thereafter, a building was purchased, renovated, and dedicated to Christ Jesus and His Teachings.

St. Timothy's welcomes all to participate in the love of Christ and to follow His teachings. We welcome all Christians who have been baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to receive Holy Communion, regardless of Church affiliation.

Come to St. Timothy's and be a part of orthodox worship that has been experienced through the ages.

Anglican Church

HISTORY OF THE

Anglicanism is a form of Christianity that originated in Britain as far back as the 1st or 2nd century. According to tradition, Joseph of Arimathea brought the gospel to Britain after Christ's resurrection. Though little is known about its earliest foundations, records indicate that British bishops attended some of the earliest church councils, including those at Arles (314) and Nicaea (325).

After the Revolutionary War, the Anglican church in the American colonies became a distinct ecclesiastical body with the birth of the United States. Following their hard-won independence from the English, Americans no longer wished for their churches to be identified as Anglican since this association implied an English identity. Consequently, they almost exclusively used the name "Episcopalian" after the war.

The newly formed "Episcopal Church" did not seek to diverge from the essential points of doctrine, discipline, or worship of the Church of England beyond what local circumstances would allow (The Book of Common Prayer, p.11). The term "episcopal" originates from the Greek word "episcopos," which means "overseer," a word used in the New Testament to describe the office of a bishop overseeing a local church or group of churches. "Church" derives from the Greek word "ekklesia," meaning "assembly," used in the New Testament to refer to God's people gathered in a congregation. Hence, the phrase "episcopal church" means a church overseen by bishops in accordance with the New Testament model.

An Introduction to the Calendar of the Christian Year

Sundays

The sequence of the Sundays of the Calendar depends on the date of Easter, because every Sunday is a celebration of our Lord’s resurrection from the dead. Nevertheless, Sundays also reflect the character of the seasons in which they are set. Following ancient Jewish tradition, the celebration of any Sunday begins at sundown on the Saturday that precedes it. Therefore at Evening Prayer on Saturdays (other than Holy Days), the Collect appointed for the ensuing Sunday is used.

Principal Feasts

These feasts take precedence over any other day or observance. All Saints' Day may also be observed on the Sunday following November 1, in addition to its observance on the fixed date.

Easter Day
Ascension Day
Day of Pentecost
Trinity Sunday
Christmas Day (December 25)
The Epiphany (January 6)
All Saints' Day (November 1)

Holy Days

Any of these feasts that fall on a Sunday, other than in Advent, Lent and Easter, may be observed on that Sunday or transferred to the nearest following weekday. No holy day or observance can replace the fixed propers for Ash Wednesday, Holy Week, or Easter Week.

The Holy Days, traditionally called Red-Letter Days, observed in this church, in addition to the Principal Feasts, are the following:

The Circumcision and Holy Name of our Lord Jesus Christ (January 1)
The Presentation of Christ in the Temple (February 2)
The Annunciation (March 25)
The Transfiguration (August 6)
The Feasts of the Apostles
The Feasts of the Evangelists
Joseph, the Guardian of Jesus (March 19)
The Nativity of John the Baptist (June 24)
Mary Magdalene (July 22)
The Virgin Mary (August 15)
Holy Cross Day (September 14)
Holy Michael and All Angels (September 29)
James of Jerusalem (October 23)
Stephen, Deacon and Martyr (December 26)
The Holy Innocents (December 28)

Days of Discipline, Denial, and Special Prayer

Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, and Good Friday, the day of our Lord’s Crucifixion, are traditionally days of special devotion and total abstinence. Maundy Thursday is observed with rites recalling the Last Supper and betrayal at Gethsemane.
The weekdays of Lent and every Friday of the year (outside the 12 Days of Christmas and the 50 days of Eastertide) are encouraged as days of fasting. Ember Days and Rogation Days may also be kept this way.
Fasting, in addition to reduced consumption, normally also includes prayer, self-examination and acts of mercy.”

Ember Days are set aside for prayers for those called to Holy Orders, and occur on the following Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
- After St. Lucy’s Day (December 13)
- After Lent 1
- After the Day of Pentecost
- After Holy Cross Day (September 14)
Rogation Days are the three days receding Ascension Day, especially devoted to asking for God’s blessing on agriculture and industry. National Days with proper lessons are:
- Memorial Day (The Monday closest to May 28)
- Canada Day (July 1)
- Independence Day (July 4)
- Thanksgiving Day (The fourth Thursday in November)
- Remembrance Day (November 11)