Living Waters Anglican Fellowship is a member church within the Anglican Network in Canada, located in Kingston, Ontario. The parish was officially formed on July 1, 2015 when the Rev. Christopher Doering was appointed Rector and Lead Pastor by Diocesan Bishop, The Rt. Rev. Charlie Masters.  Living Waters Anglican Fellowship held its first worship service on Sunday, August 2, 2015 at the Kingston House of Prayer.  Living Waters was incorporated under the Canada Not-For-Profit Corporations Act on September 3, 2015.

Living Waters is made up of people of all ages from a variety of backgrounds, gathered together under the Lordship of Jesus.  We come together out of a common desire to be faithful to God, to His Holy Word, and to classic Christian beliefs and morals; and to remain in communion with biblically faithful Anglicans worldwide. We believe that Living Waters Anglican Fellowship is called by God to have a unique ministry and witness in Kingston, Ontario and beyond.  We rejoice in this calling, and in all we say and do, we seek, by God’s grace, to know and follow Jesus and to be transformed into His likeness by the Holy Spirit.  Our name, Living Waters Anglican Fellowship, reflects our vision to provide a place for people to encounter Jesus and be enlivened and refreshed by the living water that only He can provide.  This vision is a response to Jesus’ invitation in John 7:37-38:
“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’”

Living Waters Anglican Fellowship is a member parish of the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) under the authority and pastoral direction of the Diocesan Bishop. ANiC is a member diocese of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) under the authority of the Archbishop and Primate of the Province. Living Waters is also in fellowship with faithful Anglicans around the world, particularly those who have joined the international Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans and the GAFCON Movement.  Most importantly, we are privileged to be part of the universal church made up of people of many denominations under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Basic Beliefs and Theological Stand

St. Augustine writes; “In the non-essentials, freedom; in the essentials, unity; in all things, love.”  We embrace this philosophy at Living Waters, and refuse to allow things that are not important to threaten the unity and fellowship that we cherish.  However, when it comes to our beliefs, there are essentials — non-negotiables — that serve as the foundation for our unity.  Living Waters Anglican Fellowship embraces Anglican orthodoxy — the biblically-faithful, authentically-Anglican way of following Jesus and being part of the “One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.” We gladly affirm historic biblical Christian faith as set forth in the ancient Christian statements of faith (the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds).  This faith is attested to in the foundational principles and historic standards of the Anglican tradition in Canada (The Solemn Declaration of 1893, the Thirty-Nine Articles, and the Book of Common Prayer).

Our core beliefs are shared with millions of Anglicans and other Christians around the world, and have been summarized in The Jerusalem Declaration of 2008, to which ANiC has subscribed.  Some of these central and life-changing truths include:

• The supreme authority of the Bible in all matters of faith and morality.
• The triune nature of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• The full humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ, the only Saviour and Lord.
• The sinfulness of every person and the universal need for salvation.
• The sinless life, atoning death, bodily resurrection and ascension, heavenly reign, and future return in glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Salvation by grace through faith in Jesus’ finished work on the cross for our redemption.
• The presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the life of all those who believe in Christ.
• The essential realities of salvation encompassing: the forgiveness of sins through justification, regeneration and adoption into God’s family, union and communion with Christ and the personal indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the practice of holiness, moral transformation into the image of Christ, and the future resurrection of the body for eternal life.
• The preaching of the Word of God, the fellowship of the Church, the ministry of the sacraments, and personal prayer–as the principal means of God’s grace.

We also maintain a strong emphasis on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, rooted and grounded in Scripture, as our evangelical heritage; and an openness to the power, presence, and direction of the Holy Spirit, as we seek to live out our Christian faith individually and corporately.  As followers of Jesus and as a community of faith, we are:

• Convinced of God’s love for each of us and the whole world as revealed through His Son Jesus.
• Committed to Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
• Able to claim His power in our lives through the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
• Called to witness to His grace and serve Him in the world.

Ministries and Programs

We at Living Waters long to see people of all ages and backgrounds come to know, grow, and show the transforming love of God in Jesus and to drink deeply of the Living Water that satisfies our every thirst. In order to glorify God and live out our calling as a parish, we undertake a variety of ministries and programs that are:

• Upward to God – Worship, prayer, and praise.
• Inward to the Parish – Discipleship programs for all ages; fellowship and community building events; pastoral care, counselling, and support; healing ministries; and administration of the sacraments (baptism, confirmation, marriage).
• Outward to the Wider Church and World – Participation in the life of the diocese, province, and wider Christian community. Reaching out locally, nationally, and globally through mission and prayer partnerships.

Organizational Structure

Living Waters is an incorporated body with its own by-laws.  We are subject to the appropriate civil laws and to the Canons, Constitution, and Diocesan Bishop of the Anglican Network in Canada.  We are governed by a Parish Council, and hold at least one congregational meeting (Vestry) per year.  The Rector is the Lead Pastor and CEO of the parish and has primary oversight over the spiritual life and ministry of the congregation.  This leadership is shared with the other Officers of Parish Council: Rector’s Warden, People’s Warden, Treasurer, and Vestry Clerk (Secretary).

We affirm the basic principle of Christian stewardship–that all that we are and all that we have comes from God. As such, we believe that God deserves the first fruits of all our labours. We believe that God calls us to be generous and Spirit-led in our giving, as a reflection of our gratitude for all that He has done for us.  Although we rely on the generous and faithful stewardship of our members to help us meet our ministry priorities, as outlined in our operating budget, we believe that God is our Provider and we trust Him to meet all our needs.