Being a Christian is about following the teachings and life of Jesus. Christianity holds that in Jesus the whole of God’s love can be seen.
Over the 2000 years that Christianity has been a religion it has grown to be the world’s most common faith and there are groups of Christians (churches) on every continent. Christians believe that in Jesus God was fully active, ie that Jesus is God. Along with Jesus, Christians believe that God is also Father and Spirit. A common phrase in use is “in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit”.
The other distinctive belief Christians have about Jesus is that when he died (crucified around AD 30) his life did not end like all others, but he was resurrected. His disciples following his death encountered Jesus in numerous places and Christians today believe that through worship we can encounter Jesus still.
Churches have taken many forms over the centuries, but always they are a gathering of those seeking to know Christ better. Sometimes these are small gatherings of just a few people in someone’s front room, at other times there might be 1,000’s of people in a great Cathedral. Bendigo has 32 parishes, many with more than one Church or Congregation. These are gatherings of Christians who mostly come from the locality around the church. Bendigo has female and male priests, who are in charge of the parish churches.
Anglicans form a worldwide network of affiliated churches. Having started in England and breaking away from the authority of the Pope in the C16th the church spread with the expansion of the British Empire. Anglican or Episcopal Churches are now found in over 165 countries around the world. In each church there is a senior bishop (episcopos). Anglican churches, although a product of the reformation, still retain the catholic structure of bishop, priests and deacons.