SLIPPERY ROCK — In a town where at least a dozen churches are trying to appeal to college students, the Grace Anglican Church has one distinct advantage: Youth is on its side.

The Rev. Ethan Magness is 27 years old, graduated from the Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in Ambridge a few years ago and is jumping right into the newly formed church.

The Grace Anglican Fellowship received its mission status last month, joining the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh. Episcopal Assistant Bishop Henry Scriven presided over the service to celebrate the church's status.

The designation means the membership graduated from a fellowship but still needs to reach membership and funding goals to become a full-fledged church.

During the past year, members of the church worshipped at Highland Presbyterian Church on Highland Avenue in Slippery Rock, and they will continue to do so until they can find their own facility. However, that is not the church's main focus for now, according to Gil Harp, church warden.

Instead, they hope to add more members, especially Slippery Rock University students. The church has already grown from 20 members to about 120 in the past year by using word-of-mouth.

"We find it's really best having a person invite you," he said.

Magness won't be doing all that work alone. The church recently hired a part-time employee who works with the Coalition for Christian Outreach and will help inform students about the church.

But the pastor's appeal is undeniable. He relates to younger people, and although parish members range from 2 to 90 years old, Magness said about 55 percent are college students.

"(My age) has been more of a help than a hindrance," he said.

Normally, a pastor needs to work as an assistant pastor for at least five years before receiving a congregation, but Magness knew some of the planners of Grace Anglican, who chose him as their leader.

"Thus far it's been really fantastic," he said. "(Church members) don't seem put off by my age. Since a large portion of those who come to us are young, I'm suited to what we are."

"I was thrown into the deep end, but had very gracious coaches," he said of the other church planners. "I didn't feel a lot of pressure and very few expectations were set in stone."

In the near future, he hopes to not only see the church grow, but start to do mission work in and outside the community.

"We have a passionate desire to see the community helped," he said.

Another reason Slippery Rock was chosen was its location within Butler County, according to Harp. Though several forming members are from Grove City, they didn't want the church to be created there, since a church in Mercer County would be a member of the Northwest Diocese of the Episcopal Church.

The Pittsburgh Diocese is much more conservative theologically, while the Northwest Diocese is more liberal, according to Harp. The conservative churches use the Bible as an authority, while others tend to use it more as a reference, he said.

The church will be the first Episcopal Church in Slippery Rock and will appeal to residents and students, Harp said.

"The background is liturgical, which is attractive to young people," he said.

Liturgical means a more formal order of worship, with details on the service distributed to congregants on printed bulletins.

Church member Vern Miller of Slippery Rock said the type of service took some getting used to.

"It was not the kind of worship service that my wife and Iwere used to, but we quickly learned to love the liturgical setting,"he said.

The couple loved many other aspects of the church right away, like the pastor, other congregants and the sense of community, he said.

"My wife and I moved to Slippery Rock 3Z\x years ago and spent a long time trying to find a good fit with a church,"Miller said. "It didn't take long to figure out that this was a special church."

During its formation, the church was considered a branch of St. Christopher's Episcopal Church in Warrendale. Church planners have been meeting for two years, holding services at 5:30 p.m. Sundays for the past year. One service per week is also held at Allegheny Valley School in Slippery Rock.

For more information, e-mail ethanasius@gmail.com or visit the church's Web site at graceslipperyrock.com.