THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYERS (page 855) sets forth the Church's reason for being: it's to restore people to unity with God and each other in Christ. Our primary task is reconciliation. As individuals and as communities, we carry out that mission as we "represent Christ and his Church; bear witness to him wherever we may be; and according to gifts given us, carry on Christ's work of reconciliation on the world; and take our place in the life, worship and governance of the Church"

The ways in which we live out our mission as the Church are further defined in our responses to the questions in the Baptismal Covenant.

We commit ourselves:

...to be faithful to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of the bread and in the prayers;

...to persevere in resisting evil and, when we fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord;

...to proclaim, by word and example, the Good News;

...to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves; and

...to strive for justice and peace among all people, respecting the dignity of every human being.

Although we respond to the questions in the Baptismal Covenant as individuals, our commitment's corporate as well. We live our faith in community. That community, the Episcopal Church, has a particular culture that's reflected in our liturgy, music and governance.