Father Nicholas Sykes is the Minister for St Alban's Church of England, a small church located at 461 Shedden Road between the four-way traffic lights and Foster's Food Fair, opposite Bodden Place.

He has been the minister for that church for 22 years.

Inside it looks more like a 'traditional' Church than outside, but in any case, looks can be deceptive. Fr. Nicholas Sykes is clearly grounded in church history and tradition; he believes in sticking to traditional theological principles, and the integrity of the Bible as the inspired word of God.

Sunday services are at 8.35 am, and 6:00 pm. In the summer and for other short periods the main service, Holy Communion, is at 9:00 am, but for most of the year it is held at 9.30 am, and is preceded by a bible study at 9:00 am.

There are also midday prayers at 12.30 pm from Tuesday to Friday, and there is also a Holy Communion service on Holy Days.

Father Nicholas Sykes outlined some of the most important beliefs.

The most important thing for his congregation to believe in, he said, is: "The reality and power of God, his nearness to us and his otherness from us; the reliability of his revelation to us in Jesus Christ, and the timeless truth of Christian doctrine.

"It is the foundation of the values we hold dear and of any hope we may have personally or corporately for the future."

Father Nicholas Sykes believes it is important to stand up for traditional Christian doctrine, such as belief in the Trinity, because:

"This is the powerful expression of what God has revealed about Himself.

Without it you cannot preserve the central truths of the Christian Faith, such as the Incarnation and the Atonement.

"Without it also, we go seriously wrong in interpreting the fundamental nature of mankind...(and) in our understanding of the Holy Scripture," he said.

When asked what other important traditional, bible-based doctrines are in danger of being ignored or watered down, he answered: "Pretty much all of them, but in particular, the centrality and particularity of the Lord  Jesus Christ as the revelation to us of God, and of the action of His love."

About the historical links between the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church, he said the Church of England and other Anglicans are supposed to be reformed catholics.

"That is, we are supposed to have retained our identity as catholics and our succession from the primitive and patristic church in doctrine and orders, while cutting out unscriptural ideas, practices and traditions that became a part of the life of the pre-reformed church. There are some calling themselves Anglicans that have departed tragically from such a vision," he explained.

Father Nicholas Sykes is an active member of the Cayman Ministers Association, a group of local ministers from different churches and denominations who work together.

"The role of the Cayman Ministers' Association has been to form an effective basis of partnership among varying Christian churches at work here, especially in Grand Cayman, one that has given credibility to the Christian witness in the society, and given continued strength in a period that has become more secularist than before.

"We have formed teams in spheres of hospital ministry, prison ministry, radio ministry, and in emergency ministries such as Love in Action and other ministries, and represent a means for communication with official bodies and the media."

Explaining why he believes an understanding of church history to be important, Father Nicholas Sykes said:

"As Jesus says, we do well to draw from things both new and old. Otherwise we waste a lot of time 'reinventing the wheel' and learning from experience the hard way."

In reply to some people, who claim that his church is not a true Anglican Church, Father Nicholas Sykes said:

"There is no legal or actual entity that is recognized as 'The Anglican Church' internationally, while there are many churches throughout the world that claim an Anglican heritage.

"Our claim to the Anglican heritage - as well as our important constitutional position in the Cayman Islands - has been presented quite clearly, and is widely if not universally recognized."

Father Nicholas Sykes also said that he has written a book, 'The Dependency Question,' which deals with this issue in depth.

"No scholarly contradiction of its treatment of the material (contained in the book) has ever been received," he said.

christopher@caymannetnews.com