What we believe
We are a conservative, orthodox, Anglican church. We profess our faith through the three ancient creeds of the Church: the Apostles, Nicene, and the Athanasian Creeds. The Holy Scriptures and the Book of Common Prayer (REC) are our rule for Faith and Practice.
“One canon reduced to writing by God himself, two testaments, three creeds, four general councils, five centuries, and the series of Fathers in that period – the centuries that is, before Constantine, and two after, determine the boundary of our faith.” — Lancelot Andrews
How we live our faith
We pursue a life in God for the sake of the world in the Anglican Way. This means that we follow the “Threefold Rule.”
Celebrate Weekly Communion
Pray the Daily Office
Practice Personal Devotion through spiritual direction, godly relationships, & ascetical practices.
The Office is our daily, stable praise to the Father (the transcendent), private devotion is our praying through the Holy Spirit (the immanent), and Eucharist is communion with God the Son (the incarnate—binding together the two poles of transcendence and immanence). — Martin Thornton
Our History
Grace Reformed Episcopal Church was founded in 1873 in Collingdale, Pennsylvania. The church building was expanded in 1914 with our Parish Hall added in 1946. The church has seen many seasons, and much has changed since our cornerstone was laid more than 125 years ago. Christ, however, has remained the bedrock of worship and parish life. Together, we strive to live the faith, uphold holy tradition, and love our neighbors as Christ Himself taught us.
As Anglicans, we see ourselves as both catholic and reformed. Our tenants of belief are rooted in Scripture and the consensus of early Church history as expressed in the Creeds and the life & teaching of the saints. Moreover, we trace our liturgy and emphasis on the grace of Christ to Cramner and Laud, men in the broader movement of the Reformation. We are reformed insofar as we are part of an inheritance whose authors sought to restore the Church to its origins of belief and practice.
Our Rector
Fr. Shawn Riley has served as Rector of Grace since August of 2021 after serving in various other churches and is also on staff at Reformed Episcopal Seminary. His call has always been to the least, the last, and the lost and in calling Christ’s church to hear that same call as they seek to follow their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
He and his wife, Jamie, have 3 children, live in the neighborhood, and enjoy being out in God’s creation.
Our Vestry
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John Kartee
Senior Warden
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Aagon Gwaikolo
Vestryman
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Stanley Elliott
Vestryman
Our Affiliations
We are members of the Reformed Episcopal Church in the Diocese of the Northeast & Mid-Atlantic.
The Reformed Episcopal Church is a founding jurisdiction in the Anglican Church of North America.
