Learn about us
Who we are
St. Augustine’s Anglican Church is a downtown church blessed with parishioners who represent a wide variety in age, interest, ethnicity and occupation. As the only church in the city associated with the Anglican Church of Canada we draw parishioners from all over the city and the surrounding area. We are a multicultural church family. Our parish is a place where people are strengthened, restored and inspired to work in the world as Christ’s disciples.
Mission statement
We are a people transformed into a family by the grace of our Father in heaven, revealed to us in His Son Jesus Christ. We are called to minister to all people. To those who do not yet know our Lord Jesus, we are called to reveal His love and His power. To those who do profess Christ as their Saviour, we are called to encourage and strengthen their faith in Him. Our life together is marked by a Trinitarian faith, grounded in the ancient pattern of Word and Sacrament, yet reaching out to the world around us, with concern and creativity, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
History
St. Augustine’s, Lethbridge was founded on October 6, 1886. On the corner of 2nd Avenue and 8th Street South, sod was turned to construct a permanent church building. In 1928, St. Augustine’s merged with another Anglican parish in the city, St. Cyprian’s, and their church building was moved near the corner of 11th Street and 4th Avenue to house the combined parish. In 1956, a new St. Augustine’s Church was built next to the old building, and the former St. Cyprian’s became our Church Hall – a purpose it still serves. In 2004, St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church on the north side of the city joined with St. Augustine’s. The mix of traditional and contemporary, and ‘high’ and ‘low’ church styles, that you will find in our weekly services reflect our commitment to offer a church home to all Anglicans in our city.
In the fall of 2015, we undertook a major renovation to make the church more accessible, with an elevator, barrier free washroom, expanded gathering area (Narthex), new prayer chapel, and a renovated nursery and kitchen.
Today, we are a parish that embraces diversity in many ways, including among age groups. Our parish has a sizeable number of families with young children and we are grateful to have a highly engaged group of youth and young adults who actively participate in the ministries of music, Sunday School, nursery and Vacation Bible School.
Our beliefs
If you want to know what Anglicans believe, we invite you to come and worship with us. Unlike many churches, the Anglican Church does not produce formal statements of doctrine. Instead our faith is expressed through the forms of worship in our prayer books.
The Anglican Church of Canada uses two main prayer books to guide our collective worship; The Book of Common Prayer (BCP) which uses more traditional language, and The Book of Alternative Services (BAS) which is more contemporary. We also use a Book of Occasional Services to address pastoral needs that occur less frequently.
St. Augustine’s, in common with all churches of the Anglican Communion and many other church denominations, holds to the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed as central expressions of Christian faith. The Apostles’ Creed is one of the earliest creeds in the church and has long been used in baptismal preparation:
I believe in God,
The Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
And born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
And is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again
To judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
The holy catholic Church,
The communion of saints,
The forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body,
And the life everlasting. Amen.
Clergy and staff
Governance
Saint Augustine’s Church in Lethbridge is a parish within the Anglican Church of Canada, which is itself part of the Worldwide Anglican Communion, active in 164 countries and comprising about 80 million members. The Anglican Church of Canada, like every national Anglican church, enjoys complete autonomy. We are, however, bound to other Anglican churches by our history, and by four “Instruments of Unity:” the spiritual leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury in England; the Lambeth Conference, held every 10 years; the Anglican Consultative Council; and occasional meetings of the Presiding Bishops of national churches.
Regionally, St. Augustine’s falls under the authority of the Archbishop of the Diocese of Calgary. The region includes many other Anglican parishes and ministries, and extends north to Red Deer, south to the US border, west to the border with BC and east to the border with Saskatchewan.
At St. Augustine’s itself, we make our decisions with the help of three leadership groups: Corporation is our executive committee and is made up of clergy and senior lay leaders (Rector’s and People’s Wardens); Parish Council is a larger group that advises Corporation and keeps them in touch with the needs and perspectives of the parish; and the Management Committee is made up of clergy and a number of lay Deputy Wardens who oversee various areas of ministry within the church. Each spring an Annual Meeting of Parishioners is held to update church members about issues facing the parish, and to vote on key lay leadership positions and the annual budget.