THE MISSION STATEMENT OF ST. JOHN'S IN THE VILLAGE PARISH In response to our salvation through Jesus Christ, and as witnesses to God's love, the community of St. John's is centered in the Eucharist. Following Jesus' example of teaching, healing. and fellowship, we seek to call forth our talents and skills to strengthen our community and to serve others. First, a definition of the word. An Anglican church is one which traces its roots to the Church of England, that branch of the Catholic Church established in England perhaps as early as the third century and which became independent of the Roman Church in the 16th century. For the first 250 years after the reformation, Anglicanism consisted of the national churches of the British Isles and the missionaries they sent to British colonies. After the American revolution in the 18th century, the first Episcopal Church , independent of the Church of England, yet in communion with it, was organized in the United States. Since that date, autonomous provinces have been established on every continent, and the Anglican communion is now a worldwide communion numbering over 75 million members. The largest concentration of Anglicans is now in Africa.