Any Anglicans in the hive?

[stormy weather]

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[Starr]

I'll get you some book titles from dh. What prayer book is your church using?

[WishboneDawn]

I'm Anglican. Feel free to ask any about anything as well!

[AK_Mom4]

Episcopal here - not the same but close. :hurray:

[WishboneDawn]

Episcopal here - not the same but close. :hurray:

 

It's just one little revolution that separates us. :D

 

Close enough anyway. You're part of the world Anglican communion. :)

[momofkhm]

I don't know what your questions are of course, but feel free to ask and I'll try to answer. In the meantime:

 

An Anglican church is one that is Biblical, Sacramental and Liturgical. Anglicans believe the Bible is the word of God. Two-thirds of our prayer book is made up of verses or phrases from the Bible. Each Sunday when we gather for worship the Bible is read and the sermons are based on those passages. In addition to readings from the Bible and a sermon, the Sunday morning liturgy in our prayer book includes the Nicene Creed, Confession of Sin and Holy Communion.

 

One additional note: There are millions of Anglicans world-wide, and although we are not governed by one central leader, we do recognize four orders of ministry: lay persons, deacons, priests and bishops.

[Dolphin]

Hi,

I am one of those nutty Anglicans. I really like the Episcopal Bookstore. John is the owner, and you can e-mail him with what you are looking for. He gets back to you really quickly with recommendations. So far I have really enjoyed the books he has recommended.

 

So, which country are you in? In the US, there is a real big emphasis on the Always Welcome aspect of the church. That everyone is welcome at the table.

 

Some other big differences between Episcopalians and other denominations are:

The Bible is not the number one resource of the church (I know there is another word and I am spacing it)

Prayer is number one

The Bible as interpreted by prayer is number 2.

Prayer is huge, a lot of the service is prayer. We are supposed to stop and pray at least for times a day. The kids and I start our circle time with Morning prayer. "Open my lips, O Lord, and my mouth shall proclaim you praise." and we end our day with evening prayer, or evening song. It is a nice way to frame your day.

 

The other thing is that we believe that there is only one God. Not that there is only one God and our God is the right one, there is only one God and he shows himself in many ways. If you look back to the tower of Babel and the confusion that God put onto the earth. That is why the church has a huge emphasis on Spirituality and is not big on trying to change the views of those that have faith and spirituality.

 

I am not a member of the clergy, just a lifelong episcopalian, so I hope I am explaining it well.

 

A really good book, that is only 36 pages long is What Makes Us Episcopalians? by John E Booty.

 

Also A People Called Episcopalians

 

Also good is this guide for children

 

And I love this one Always Open

 

I hope that helps. You can PM me if you ever have questions.

Nicole

[Ewe Mama]

I'm Anglican. Try searching www.anglicanchurch.net for some info. I don't know specifically what type of info you are wanting, but that website might be a good starting point.

 

It is a nice service, isn't it? :001_smile:

[stormy weather]

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[Dolphin]

Episcopal here - not the same but close. :hurray:

 

The Episcopal church is the Anglican church in the US. There is a group that is separating and more conservative than the Episcopal church (and the Church of England for that matter) that is going by Anglican. All are branches on the same tree.

 

I think it started with the Scots! Some people started to believe that the Church of England was right, but they were still trying to be separate from England and I think that is where the name Episcopal came from. I could be wrong, but I remember reading that somewhere.

[Ewe Mama]

Hi,

I am one of those nutty Anglicans. I really like the Episcopal Bookstore. John is the owner, and you can e-mail him with what you are looking for. He gets back to you really quickly with recommendations. So far I have really enjoyed the books he has recommended.

 

So, which country are you in? In the US, there is a real big emphasis on the Always Welcome aspect of the church. That everyone is welcome at the table.

 

Some other big differences between Episcopalians and other denominations are:

The Bible is not the number one resource of the church (I know there is another word and I am spacing it)

Prayer is number one

The Bible as interpreted by prayer is number 2.

Prayer is huge, a lot of the service is prayer. We are supposed to stop and pray at least for times a day. The kids and I start our circle time with Morning prayer. "Open my lips, O Lord, and my mouth shall proclaim you praise." and we end our day with evening prayer, or evening song. It is a nice way to frame your day.

 

The other thing is that we believe that there is only one God. Not that there is only one God and our God is the right one, there is only one God and he shows himself in many ways. If you look back to the tower of Babel and the confusion that God put onto the earth. That is why the church has a huge emphasis on Spirituality and is not big on trying to change the views of those that have faith and spirituality.

 

I am not a member of the clergy, just a lifelong episcopalian, so I hope I am explaining it well.

 

A really good book, that is only 36 pages long is What Makes Us Episcopalians? by John E Booty.

 

Also A People Called Episcopalians

 

Also good is this guide for children

 

And I love this one Always Open

 

I hope that helps. You can PM me if you ever have questions.

Nicole

 

 

There is a huge difference between the Anglican Church and the Episcopal Church in the US. Our church left the Episcopal diocese 6 years ago and became part of the Anglican Church (Anglican Church in North American) because of stances taken by the Episcopal leadership that deny the truth of the Scriptures.

 

I'm not sure which church you are wanting info on. In my pp, I was linking you to the Anglican (conservative) side of things.

[Elizabeth in MN]

I think it started with the Scots! Some people started to believe that the Church of England was right, but they were still trying to be separate from England and I think that is where the name Episcopal came from. I could be wrong, but I remember reading that somewhere.

 

Uhhhhhmmm, no. We're called the Episcopal Church for two reasons. First off in the American Revolution churches had to choose between the rebels and England. Most decided to be American, so the church became the Episcopal Church of America (at least I think that was the name at the time). What is the Anglican Church in America is simply called The Episcopal Church because we're the governeing body not just for the US, but also "in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe" according to Wikipedia.

 

I'm an Episcopalian sometimes. It's actually really hard to explain where I am religiously.

[Ewe Mama]

Uhhhhhmmm, no. We're called the Episcopal Church for two reasons. First off in the American Revolution churches had to choose between the rebels and England. Most decided to be American, so the church became the Episcopal Church of America (at least I think that was the name at the time). What is the Anglican Church in America is simply called The Episcopal Church because we're the governeing body not just for the US, but also "in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe" according to Wikipedia.

 

I'm an Episcopalian sometimes. It's actually really hard to explain where I am religiously.

 

I believe that, because the Anglican Church refused to send ordained priests over to American during our "civil disobedience" :tongue_smilie: several ministers were brought over (smuggled over, snuck over) from Scotland to perform services, ordain new ministers, etc. That ticked England off.

Edited August 29, 2011 by Sheep Lady Mama
I can't type!

[Dolphin]

Uhhhhhmmm, no. We're called the Episcopal Church for two reasons. First off in the American Revolution churches had to choose between the rebels and England. Most decided to be American, so the church became the Episcopal Church of America (at least I think that was the name at the time). What is the Anglican Church in America is simply called The Episcopal Church because we're the governeing body not just for the US, but also "in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe" according to Wikipedia.

 

I'm an Episcopalian sometimes. It's actually really hard to explain where I am religiously.

 

Yes, that is why the American branch went with that name, but I think than Scotland did it first. That we followed them. I just did a quick search out of curiosity and found this on Wikipedia. Although that is not normally a source that I like to quote as they have been wrong before.

 

 

"The Scottish Episcopal Church was previously called the Episcopal Church in Scotland, reflecting its role as the Scottish province of the Anglican Communion.[citation needed] Although not incorporated until 1712, the Scottish Episcopal Church traces its origins beyond the Reformation and sees itself in continuity with the church established by St. Ninian, St. Columba, St. Kentigern and other Celtic saints."

 

I love all this history.

[stormy weather]

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[Dolphin]

:seeya::001_smile:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Does priest/rector/vicar mean the same thing? Mostly I'm curious about the church structure. The priest always has someone else to answer to right? Is anglican liturgy pretty much the same as catholic? Do beliefs on what the bible says about things vary from congregation to congregation?

I'm sure ther's more but I've gone blank at the moment.:tongue_smilie:

 

Are you in the US or somewhere else? In England you will find that the Church is Called, The Church of England. Some churches will be High Church. They are very close to Catholic. Chanting, incense and all that. The church I went to over there was a high church. We had a vicar. I have been to a VERY liberal Episcopalian church in the US. They went by priest, but preferred that you just called them by their given name. I am now at more of an in between church. Not to conservative, not to liberal. Our priest there goes by Father Tony.

 

I think the titles get all mixed up from the different countries. There can be a lot of variation from congregation to congregation.

 

Again, this is only if you are talking about the Anglican Communion. If you are talking about the Anglican Church in the USA, I don't know as I have never been to a service. Your location doesn't say if you are in the US, Canada, or else where.

[Ewe Mama]

Priest/rector/vicar/pastor/minister are all the same. Yes, there is always someone to answer to. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the top human in the hierarchy, but Christ is Head over all.

 

The churches are supposed to follow scripture. It is very similar to the RC church in that sense. Some churches follow the Lectionary readings but others may use scripture that fit well with their messages (sermons).

[stormy weather]

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[ktgrok]

What country are you in? There are various branches of Anglican, most are in communion with each other. Some have splintered off recently though.

[ktgrok]

Ok, in the USA there is the Episcopal Church, which is the local branch of the Anglican Communion. Then there are also various groups that have splintered off of the Episcopal church, some of which are in communion with the rest of the Anglicans in the world, and some that are not and are totally independent, despite calling themselves Anglican. So it will depend a bit on which of these you are in..

 

As for structure, I'm going to try to explain...

 

There was originally the R.Catholic church in England. It was referred to as the church IN England. Then the church rejected the authority of the roman bishop/pope, and put the head of state at the head of the church, making it the Church OF England. Also referred to as the Anglican Church aka English Church. This didn't change any beliefs really, or form, just political structure. Later there were reforms/changes made...first making it more protestant in nature, then going back the other way. But through it all there was one constant, the Book of Common Prayer. As England colonized areas it took the church with it. Obviously you aren't going to call a church that is in Scotland the Church of England, (not to the scot's face anyway), so it was called the Episcopal Church, with Episcopal meaning Bishop. Various places call the church various things, but it is all the same church...the Anglican Communion. The Archbishop of Cantebury is first among equals...he has no actual power over the other bishops but is accorded respect of title.

 

As for structure locally, there is the Priest (who is in England called a vicar, or rector). Asssisting the priest is the Deacon. Above the level of priest is the Bishop. The Bishop is in charge of a larger area, and performs certain liturgical services. Priests can baptize, but Bishops confirm, for instance. As for decision making, every 10 years (I think it is 10) there is a church wide gathering where everyone from around the world has input, and there are votes on various issues. Statements are made.

 

But for the most part what makes us Anglican is our prayer book. Not all Anglicans agree on various issues, but we all pray together, and worship together. We read the same scriptures on sunday as every other Anglican church around the world.

 

We believe in Scripture, Reason, and Tradition.

 

I hope that helps.

[ktgrok]

There is a huge difference between the Anglican Church and the Episcopal Church in the US. Our church left the Episcopal diocese 6 years ago and became part of the Anglican Church (Anglican Church in North American) because of stances taken by the Episcopal leadership that deny the truth of the Scriptures.

 

I'm not sure which church you are wanting info on. In my pp, I was linking you to the Anglican (conservative) side of things.

 

Yes and no. The Episcopal Church is part of the Anglican Communion, therefor an Anglican Church. But, it is not the same as the Anglican Church in American......so like I said, yes and no, depending on what you mean by Anglican.

[Ewe Mama]

Yes and no. The Episcopal Church is part of the Anglican Communion, therefor an Anglican Church. But, it is not the same as the Anglican Church in American......so like I said, yes and no, depending on what you mean by Anglican.

 

 

I'm from the Anglican Church in America, so there IS a huge difference.

[stormy weather]

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[Dolphin]

I'm from the Anglican Church in America, so there IS a huge difference.

 

Yes, but what she is trying to say, Is that Episcopalians are also Anglicans. We are part of the Anglican Communion. As someone who has worshiped in both the US and England, I refer to myself as Anglican. I am in the US currently, so I go to an Episcopalian church.

 

The Anglican Church in the US is different, but when someone says Anglican the first thought is the Anglican Communion as that is what the majority of Anglicans are part of world wide.

 

The Anglican church in the US, is relatively new and relatively small. 100,000 people in the USA and Canada according to it's website.

 

Yes they are different, but they share a similar name and the reason is that the Anglican church in America branched out from the Anglican Communion. There are a lot of similarities, and some big differences. They have branched out as the differences became too big for them to remain within the Anglican Communion. I have looked our our local Anglican church, and it does look like they still enjoy a similar Eucharist on Sundays.

[ktgrok]

So, there is an ECUSA church here in the same town. I'm guessing that this church has split off from them because I found the church I am going to on the Anglican Church in North America site that Sheep Lady Mama linked. Which would mean they are more conservative than the ECUSA, correct?

I have to get off the boards and feed the family etc. I'll get back on later tonight when I've got some more free time :auto:

 

Yes, it will be more conservative. They do not allow women priests, and have a strong stance against homosexual activity. The ECUSA and the Anglican Church in England do ordain women to the priesthood. In fact, right now the Presiding Bishop of the United States is a woman.

 

The Anglican Church in North America is a small group that splintered off the rest fairly recently, mainly over the two above mentioned issues. Some parishes (congregations) are looking to join with the Roman Catholic church in the near future. My local one is.

 

The liturgy is still pretty much the same though. I think they might use an older prayer book....the local one here uses an adapted Roman Catholic Missal.

 

Personally I am in love with the ECUSA, and can't see myself leaving. There are members of the ECUSA, and members of my parish, that will agree with the ordination of women , and those that won't. Those that agree with children recieving communion and those that won't. Etc etc. But we are all Episcopal, all Anglican, because we all worship together.

As they say during the service "we who are many are one, because we share one bread, and one cup."

Edited August 29, 2011 by ktgrok

[ktgrok]

I'm from the Anglican Church in America, so there IS a huge difference.

 

I understand that there is a difference between the ECUSA and the ACiA. But, both are Anglican. As an Epsicopalian I am an Anglican, and was one before the ACiA ever existed. Which is why I asked her to specify, because depending on how she was using the term Anglican would determine if there was a difference or not.

 

OP, did I mention this is a time of great upheaval in the church? All in love though.:tongue_smilie:

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

Does priest/rector/vicar mean the same thing? Mostly I'm curious about the church structure. The priest always has someone else to answer to right? Is anglican liturgy pretty much the same as catholic? Do beliefs on what the bible says about things vary from congregation to congregation?

I'm sure ther's more but I've gone blank at the moment.:tongue_smilie:

 

Priests answer to their local Bishop. Priest/Rector/Vicar technically mean different things. If I am remembering correctly Rectors and Vicars are both priests. The difference can relate to the size/type of the parish they serve and (traditionally speaking) the source of their income.

 

Anglican liturgy is, on the surface, very similar to Roman Catholic (according to my RC friends who attend family events with us such as weddings and christenings). Beliefs on the meaning of the Bible should be standard and not vary by congregation (although the different types of Anglican churches in the US will have differences-Episcopal, CofE, ACiA, those affiliated with other Anglican churches around the world, those affiliated with the Roman Catholic church, etc).

 

You might wish to begin with The Episcopal Handbook.

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0819223298/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=2679314131&ref=pd_sl_159mc0y77k_e

 

Do scroll down to the Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought section. There are many other recommendations there so I won't list them all here. The "Welcome to ..." series on the Episcopal church is very user friendly.

 

In the fall many parishes also offer a Welcome to the Church class designed to answer many questions, study the Prayer Book and discuss tenants of the faith. This typically leads to adult baptism or confirmation in the Church in the spring but you are typically welcome to attend without committing to baptism or confirmation in advance.

[WishboneDawn]

 

I think it started with the Scots! Some people started to believe that the Church of England was right, but they were still trying to be separate from England and I think that is where the name Episcopal came from. I could be wrong, but I remember reading that somewhere.

 

When you guys went and did your whole, "I'm too good for British rule! I'm gonna take over my own affairs," thing it sort of messed things up. Clergy in the CoE have to swear allegiance to the British Crown since it's the monarch that's the head of the Church. Wasn't going to happen of course. So how to get your ministers ordained, especially since apostolic succession is such a big deal? Thankfully the glorious Scots had their own solution, the Scottish Episcopal Church, that also claimed to have apostolic succession and they were nice enough to ordain your folks. You guys changed names and all was well.

[WishboneDawn]

There is a huge difference between the Anglican Church and the Episcopal Church in the US. Our church left the Episcopal diocese 6 years ago and became part of the Anglican Church (Anglican Church in North American) because of stances taken by the Episcopal leadership that deny the truth of the Scriptures.

 

I'm not sure which church you are wanting info on. In my pp, I was linking you to the Anglican (conservative) side of things.

 

They did not deny the truth of scripture. They held a different view of the interpretation of scripture as informed by their tradition and reason which is a very Anglican way of going about things.

 

The Anglican communion balances scripture with tradition and reason, that's a very basic tenet of our churches. It means we sometimes disagree on key issues but then again, disagreement seems to be a basic tenet of our churches too. :)

[WishboneDawn]

Yes, but what she is trying to say, Is that Episcopalians are also Anglicans. We are part of the Anglican Communion. As someone who has worshiped in both the US and England, I refer to myself as Anglican. I am in the US currently, so I go to an Episcopalian church.

 

The Anglican Church in the US is different, but when someone says Anglican the first thought is the Anglican Communion as that is what the majority of Anglicans are part of world wide.

 

 

:iagree:

 

If I were to move to the US and wanted to attend an "Anglican" service I'd be going to an Episcopal church. Episcopals ARE Anglicans in the wider sense of the word.

[Dolphin]

When you guys went and did your whole, "I'm too good for British rule! I'm gonna take over my own affairs," thing it sort of messed things up. Clergy in the CoE have to swear allegiance to the British Crown since it's the monarch that's the head of the Church. Wasn't going to happen of course. So how to get your ministers ordained, especially since apostolic succession is such a big deal? Thankfully the glorious Scots had their own solution, the Scottish Episcopal Church, that also claimed to have apostolic succession and they were nice enough to ordain your folks. You guys changed names and all was well.

 

 

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

 

Oh good, I wasn't just imagining it.

 

Also, I am a dual national, and I have no problem with The Queen as head of the church. God save the Queen!

[stormy weather]

Thanks for all the responses, they have cleared up a few things for me and I will be looking at the books and websites. I may resurrect this thread if I may, to ask more questions when they occur to me.

I'm really liking that the priest is not the end of the line when it comes to discipline and (I'm assuming) finances of the church. All the churches I have been in the pastor had no one to answer to and things always got wierd. I haven't been attending church for the past 5 years because I just couldn't face the wierdness. I'm so happy to have found this church and I really hope it is my new home.

Oh, I thought of one more question. What is the part of the service called when everybody goes around saying "Peace be with you" ?

[Starr]

It's the link between "the word" part of the service and the "communion" part of the service. It's a preparation for communion, reconciliation with your brother. That said, it can become a time to greet each other in the name of Christ. Some churches take this to longer extremes than others. :)

[stormy weather]

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[Starr]

I think your priest would be happy to go over all these things with you. Maybe explain some of it to your children as well. :)

[ktgrok]

Thanks for all the responses, they have cleared up a few things for me and I will be looking at the books and websites. I may resurrect this thread if I may, to ask more questions when they occur to me.

I'm really liking that the priest is not the end of the line when it comes to discipline and (I'm assuming) finances of the church. All the churches I have been in the pastor had no one to answer to and things always got wierd. I haven't been attending church for the past 5 years because I just couldn't face the wierdness. I'm so happy to have found this church and I really hope it is my new home.

Oh, I thought of one more question. What is the part of the service called when everybody goes around saying "Peace be with you" ?

 

The finances are controlled by the vestry, which is a group of parishoners that meet on a regular basis just for that purpose. I don't think the priest has a whole lot of say in it, honestly.

 

As for the "peace be with you" part, it is called "The Peace", lol. It comes from the biblical requirement that one not approach communion/Jesus if he is at odds with a fellow person. Instead, he is to go make amends, seek forgiveness or give forgiveness, before approaching the table. This is taken seriously. If you are in the midst of a big vendetta against someone, or holding a grudge, you really shouldn't be taking communion before fixing that issue. But for the moment we greet each person around us and offer them a greeting of peace, to show we are on good terms with them. I once attended a small parish where the priest would insist on giving the peace to EVERY person there before communion. He said he didn't know if anyone had anything against him, and wanted to make sure they were all good before continuing on.

[Caitilin]

The finances are controlled by the vestry, which is a group of parishoners that meet on a regular basis just for that purpose. I don't think the priest has a whole lot of say in it, honestly.

 

As for the "peace be with you" part, it is called "The Peace", lol. It comes from the biblical requirement that one not approach communion/Jesus if he is at odds with a fellow person. Instead, he is to go make amends, seek forgiveness or give forgiveness, before approaching the table. This is taken seriously. If you are in the midst of a big vendetta against someone, or holding a grudge, you really shouldn't be taking communion before fixing that issue. But for the moment we greet each person around us and offer them a greeting of peace, to show we are on good terms with them. I once attended a small parish where the priest would insist on giving the peace to EVERY person there before communion. He said he didn't know if anyone had anything against him, and wanted to make sure they were all good before continuing on.

 

At our super-small parish (like 15 people on Sunday is a LOT) everyone passes the peace to everyone. One of the best things about a tiny parish is we are all familial!

[smillard00]

RE the priest/vicar/rector question:

 

There are a variety of titles for priests that indicate what kind of position they are holding in the local parish and the status of that parish. A Rector is a priest that has been voted on and hired to be the priest of a parish church. A parish church can also have a Priest-in-charge which is a priest who has been placed there by the bishop to fill in as rector while they search for a new rector. He will usually work there full-time or whatever hours the rector would normally work at that parish. You may also see a Priest-in-charge under special circumstances which is a priest who has been placed there by the bishop to fill in, but the parish has the option to vote to make it "permanent" and hire him as rector. When a local church is new and building up membership, it is called a Mission, not a parish. Sometimes if a parish loses membership and drops down below a certain number or if they are having major problems and the bishop has to step in to straighten things out, they can be downgraded to Mission status while they rebuild. The priest of a Mission church is placed by the bishop and is called a Vicar. You might also see an Interim priest or Interim rector. This is also a priest who has been placed by the bishop to fill in while a church searches for a new rector, but usually they are only there for the regular services. They don't keep the daily office hours and do all of the other duties of rector like a Priest-in-charge would.

[Alessandra]

I have been attending an anglican church recently and I have really liked the services that I've been to. I love that scripture is read all through the service not just during the sermon and that there is communion every week and, and, and. I just really like it. I got a book called Anglicanism by Stephen Neil thinking that it was about the how the church works, but so far it's just history,which I do enjoy but it's not answering the questions I have. I have only gone to non-denom. churches where the pastor pretty much runs the show even if there are elders or deacons, so I am not familiar with how anglicanism works in that regard and would like to know more. I'd also like to know more about the liturgy of the services. So I guess I need book recommendation or websites or any other info you can give me. Thanks:001_smile:

 

I bet you thought you had a simple question! Anglican & Episcopal churches are part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, with the Archbishop of Canterbury as its head. In the U.S., there have been offshoots of the Episcopal/Anglican church for at least 150 years, some staying within the governance of the national church, others breaking away.

 

Recently, that is to say in the last forty years or so, the splits/splinter groups in the church have increased. Rite I vs Rite II -- some churches have both, other churches are adamant about one or the other. Some churches incorporate new or experimental liturgies. Anglo Catholicism. Affirming Catholicism. Seven sacraments or two. Real presence or not. Weekly (or more often) communion vs monthly communion. Ordination of women. Ordination to the priesthood of practicing homosexuals. Ordination of bishops -- women, practicing homosexuals or not. Sometimes churches are quite different, yet both stay within the national church (ECUSA). Sometimes, a parish stays in ECUSA, but ignores its own local bishop and gets oversight from a bishop from another area. Other times a parish leaves ECUSA and goes to a splintered off Anglican group, or becomes part of a new group.

 

I guess this is a long way of saying that it is really best to ask the priest/people in your own church, because there are just so many flavors of Anglicanism. Most parishes, especially breakaway ones, have members who follow Anglican politics and/or are liturgy junkies -- usually they love to talk to newcomers!

 

[i did read all the posts -- you have got some great advice,]

 

You might wish to begin with The Episcopal Handbook.

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0819223298/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=2679314131&ref=pd_sl_159mc0y77k_e

 

Do scroll down to the Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought section. There are many other recommendations there so I won't list them all here. The "Welcome to ..." series on the Episcopal church is very user friendly.

 

This book looks like an excellent place to start.