Celebrating Scripture-Rooted, Spirit-Fired and Discipled Parishes
ECP MISSION STATMENT: To proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God; to baptize, teach and nurture new believers; to respond to the human needs by a loving service; to seek to transform unjust structures of society; to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation; and to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.
GOALS:
Goal No. 1 : To re-inflame the ECP’s rootedness and literacy in the Holy Scriptures.
Goal No. 2: To intensify collective faithfulness and unity in common prayer and spirituality
Goal No. 3 – To heighten the healthy personal piety of every member
Goal No. 4 – To enable every member to serve according to his/her baptismal gifts
Goal No. 5 – To be a light to the world – where justice, peace and the integrity of creation reign supreme.
TARGETS: ECP Vision 2028 is inspired by, among others, ACTS Chapter 2, Verses 1,2, and 3. Hence by the end of 2028, the ECP shall celebrate:
2= 200,000 Bibles continually read and lived out
1= 100 Sunday Attendance
2= 200 Total Full-Fledge Parishes
3= 300,000 total members
ECP Vision 2028: Celebrating, Scripture-rooted, Spirit-fired, Discipled Parishes
Biblical References: Acts 2:1-3; 2 Timothy 3:16; and Matthew 28
Focal Points:
- Bible animated leaders
- Inspired and mobilized witnesses
- Personal conversion
- Unity in worship, fellowship and prayer
The vision seeks to embody all the points raised and reflected in the vision presented by the dioceses at the National Visioning Summit held at the National Office on November 2018.
There is a reference in the past two vision processes in the word celebrating. It means we celebrate the achievements the church has achieved in the last two vision processes, namely financial autonomy and the increase in the number of parishes, which more than double compared to the number of parishes when the ECP proclaimed constitutional autonomy from the ECUSA in May 1990. It is constructed in the present active sense because the celebration continues well into 2028.
The vision is a paradigm shift of some sorts. But it is not a shift into something entirely new. Rather, it is a shift towards claiming the other strand of Anglicanism. For the last one hundred years a majority of the congregations of the Episcopal Church have been focused on our so-called Anglo-Catholic tradition which most of us are accustomed to. The early missionaries were steeped in the high church tradition as reflected in our liturgical practices in our cathedral churches and older and larger parishes. Our preaching content was and still is the love of Christ shown in his life, passion, death and resurrection. Essential in this self-understanding is the appreciation that the due observance and celebration of the Holy Eucharist, the Daily Offices as well as the other liturgical rites of the church are by themselves the main tools for evangelism. As such, efforts were made that these be conducted with sufficient preparation through catechism or some other form of instruction.
In this vision before us, we are claiming more proactively the Reformed tradition which is part of our Anglican heritage. The vision affirms not only the centrality of the Eucharist in our spiritual life, but also, an equal if not more vigorous affirmation of our foundational belief on the “Scripture of the Old and New Testaments as the Word of God and contains all things necessary for salvation”/ as such it necessarily lays emphasis on life in the Spirit, the effect s of the gifts of the Spirit and how such gifts can be values very much applicable to our lives-in the family, in the workplace and in the community. The Christocentric (redemptive love of God) and the Paraclete (renewing and live-giving love of God) are made more manifest in faith and practice and in pursuit of the Five marks of Mission.
Scripture-inspired (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Church teachings tell us the place of the Holy Scripture in our lives. Each Christian, from the day they are baptized make a personal subscription to the declaration that the Old and New Testament “as the Word of God, and to contains all things necessary for salvation.” Those seeking ordination renew that declaration, too. Note that both Old and New Testaments are to be taken in their entirety. Thus, central to the message of the church is the love of God and how such love is manifested in the creation, redemption and continuing renewal of creation.
Furthermore, two weeks before the beginning of the Liturgical Calendar year, (that is two Sundays before Advent) Anglicans/Episcopalians male a special prepare to affirm Scripture within the context of the Christian praxis. The prayer promotes the place of Scriptures in our daily lives: “… Grant us to hear them, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest the,, that we may embrace them and hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which God has given us in our Savior Jesus Christ…” It is lifted from the suggestions of Paul to Timothy: “All Scripture is inspired by God profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness, that the man if God may be complete, equipped for every good work,” (2Tim 3:16-17). This does not diminish the intent of the preceding affirmation regarding the Holy Scripture. In a sense, Paul’s message is addressed to a young person who is just beginning to do engage in the worm of discipleship and the spread of the Gospel. When compared to the more than two thousand years of Christianity, the ECP with her 116 years is much too young. Yet, it is not without the benefits from the experience of the universal church. It, too is not without opportunities to manifest God’s grace.
The Episcopal Church in the Philippines 