The Episcopal Church Welcomes You!
Jesus sought out the young and the old, the rich and the poor, the sick and the well, the outcast and common fisher folk. Jesus made no distinctions between folk; neither do we!
The Episcopal Church tries to embrace the teachings of Jesus by opening its membership and ministry to everyone without regard to race, class, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. Our sisters and brothers who identify as part of the LGBT community are not just welcomed, but valued and celebrated with everyone exercising gifts for ministry. At St. Gabriel’s, we wish to learn and do the work of Jesus by loving everyone.
St. Gabriel's Parish
At St. Gabriel’s Church, we focus on “Learning and Doing the Work of Jesus.” We strive to service like Jesus, both within and outside of our walls. That means welcoming everyone, regardless of age, race, sexual identity, or past life experiences.
Our worship service centers around Communion. We gather together in community to pray, listen to the Bible, to sing as we worship God, and to be fed in the Eucharist. Gathering in community also means that we share our lives with one another: joys, struggles, times of sadness, and celebrations. The end of our worship is focused on sending us out into the world, to be empowered to live as followers of Jesus in all parts of our lives, to love our neighbors wholeheartedly.
We hope you can come experience the community of St. Gabriel’s.
We understand mission to be in concentric circles out from Douglassville, to the Reading area, to the Diocese of Bethlehem, to the larger Episcopal Church USA, and to foreign mission fields in places like Africa and South America.
We seek and strive to be involved in each sphere of mission, individually and as a congregation
Helpful Books
The following books will help you to understand how we understand our worship/spiritual formation and work:
Radical Sending, by Demi Prentiss and Fletcher Lowe, Morehouse Publishing, 2015
The Celtic Way of Evangelism, by George G. Hunter III, Abingdon Press, 2000
The Mystic Way of Evangelism, by Elaine A. Heath, Baker Publishing, 2008
At Home in the World, by Margaret Guenther, Seabury Books, 2006
