Who We Are
About Us
St. Paul’s is an Episcopal Church With a Place For Everyone.
Together we are shaped by the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Our worship is ancient and traditional, similar to Catholic mass, but with a focus on healing, love, and resurrection. We believe that God’s love is available to absolutely everyone, and we are organized around discovering this love on our spiritual journeys.
We value asking questions about God, Jesus, and Christianity. We welcome people who feel strong in their faith and those with serious doubts. We welcome all participants in our community into ministry: everyone has a gift to offer here.
Multigenerational
Spiritual community is vital for children, teens, adults, and elders. Here we celebrate the curiosity of all ages with worship, classes and social gatherings.
Inclusive
We welcoming and affirming of LGBTQIA+ persons, couples, and families. Our sanctuary is accessible for persons with limited mobility. All are welcome to receive communion. There isn’t just one way to believe.
Inquisitive
The Episcopal Church is built on scripture, tradition, and reason. We are a community that approaches faith in God with intellectual curiosity, believing that our spiritual lives are enriched by science, history, and experience.
What is Worship Like?
The Episcopal Church follows a regular routine, or liturgy, that comes from our common prayer book. If you go to any Episcopal Church in the country (or Anglican church throughout the world), worship will look similar. For someone who is more used to a non denominational community, it may feel formal. For those used to Catholic or Orthodox masses, it may feel similar but less formal.
The prayers and the rhythm of worship that we use are some of the most ancient parts of Christian tradition. At St. Paul’s we supplement these ancient traditions with contemporary words, music from across cultural traditions, and children’s worship practices like Godly Play.
What Do We Value Here?
St. Paul’s is a community that values:
- Interesting, inquisitive teaching and preaching that opens up the context of scripture both historically and for the here and now
- Beautiful worship that reflects the joy, hope and wonder through which God works in the world
- Rich and deep spiritual community for children, teens and families, where they are connected, loved, and seen
- Healing: Life is hard, and we all need to know that God loves us and that we are here for each other.
- Service in the community: we practice our faith by serving in many social justice initiatives throughout Duluth
- Faith and Ecology: We are scientists and outdoor enthusiasts and people invested in a future for our children, and here we explore what it means to be people of faith in this context
What is the Episcopal Church?
The Episcopal Church is the American branch of the Anglican Communion, or the Church of England. We are called to follow Jesus into loving, liberating, and life-giving relationships with God, with each other, and with the earth. We are united around the Book of Common Prayer, which provides a rhythm for our worship services. We are a part of a state-wide diocese with a bishop, and we have a presiding bishop and a national organizational structure.
The Episcopal Church embraces a legacy of inclusion, aspiring to tell and exemplify God’s love for every human being. People of all genders and sexual orientations serve as bishops, priests, and deacons in our church. Laypeople and clergy work together in leadership and governance.
In Minnesota, the Episcopal Church has an interesting history that is rooted in the ministry of Native Christians like Ennmegabow. Our state-wide community of churches today still include Ojibwe and Dakota churches as well as congregations with multicultural, Latino, Karen, Hmong, African American, African, and Euro-American identities.
Inclusion
An Inclusive Community
When you gather with us for worship, you will see families of all shapes, sizes, and configurations: straight and queer couples with and without children, single parents, blended families, and single adults. We are a community that welcomes people with many different intellectual and physical abilities. You will meet people who are struggling to have any faith, people who are on long spiritual journeys but new to the Episcopal Church, and people who have been Episcopalians for generations. You will meet folks who are old, young, and in between.
Read the Newsletter
Check out what is going on at St. Paul’s through our (mostly) monthly Newsletter “The Messenger.”