Class MeetingsToday, historic class meetings are nigh extinct among Anglicans and similarly among Methodists . However, although only a private service, during the 18th-century such meetings were fairly common with pious Churchmen, even adopted by evangelical Church of England vicars and rectors.
In order to make "our calling and election sure", we follow the plan of societal gatherings known by evangelical Anglican clergy like the Revs. Vincent Perronet, John Fletcher, William Grimshaw, Thomas Charles, and (on our side of the 'water') Laurence Coughlan & Thomas Vasey. Class meetings are a category of private worship, so they are held outside Public Services. The key part of the class meeting is the General Rule. Class members pledge to abide by it, observing three parts: First, to avoid evil of every kind; second, doing good of every possible sort to all men; and, third, attending upon all the Ordinances of God. The general rule is a convenient way of monitoring our improvement in the Christian walk. The class meetings are inter-denominational in character, only asking attendees “to flee the coming wrath, and be saved from their sin". Given right opportunity & season, we gently encourage others to consider Class Meetings. Again, see our society page about mid-way for the historic General Rule. |
Prayer Book Mr. John Wesley, minister of the Church of England, said of the Prayer Book, ""I believe there is no liturgy in the world, either in ancient or modern language, which breathes more of a solid, scriptural, rational piety, than the Common Prayer of the Church of England".
Interestingly, Wesley's abridged Book of Prayer, even that given to the methodistic people in America, anticipated many of the alterations by later colonial Episcopalians. Such revisers were especially concerned about 'American circumstance', namely, the large Dissenting population in the states of our early Republic, thus, amending the liturgy to meet long-standing scruple. In this sense, the American book sought to extend bonds of unity. Indeed, Bishop Robinson described the making of the American Prayer Book (from the Episcopalian revisions of 1785/89), "What resulted was an abbreviated and slightly more Protestant version of the 1662 that left out many of the customs that had offended moderate Puritans" (Glad Tidings 8/2019, p. 10). Hence, we believe the American Book is best suited to wide Protestant acquisition, and, keeping this purpose in mind, we use our BCP in a plain and universal manner as possible, connecting all sorts & conditions of men to the American Book. |
United Episcopal Church |
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