Membership
Anyone is welcome to attend St. John as a visitor, a seeker, or a lifelong Christian. Taking a step toward membership is a meaningful way to express Christian faith.
In The Episcopal Church we recognize a few categories of formal membership. The following membership categories are taken from the national Parochial Report.
Active Baptized Member
Any person whose baptism is recorded in the Register of Church Membership and Rites (Parish Register) and contributes to or participates in the worship and communal life of the reporting congregation.
Communicant
To be a Communicant one must be a baptized member of the reporting congregation. To be a Communicant one also must have received Holy Communion in this church at least three times during the year.
Communicant in Good Standing
Communicants in Good Standing are those communicants, "who for the previous year have been faithful in corporate worship, unless for good cause prevented, and have been faithful in working, praying and giving for the spread of the Kingdom of God.”
Baptism
Holy Baptism is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ’s Body the Church. In The Episcopal Church the baptismal covenant is widely understood as the guiding principle for Christian discipleship: renouncing evil and committing ourselves to Jesus. Baptism is the foundation for all future church ministry and participation. To arrange a meeting about baptism, or for any baptism-related questions, please contact Fr. Eric.
Marriage
We want to do everything we can to ensure that couples seeking marriage are well prepared for the new life they are about to begin in which, “the two shall become one,” (Mark 10:7-9). To arrange a conversation about weddings at St. John, or for any wedding-related questions, please download a copy of our Marriage Guidelines.
Eucharist / Communion
The Holy Eucharist is the principal act of Christian worship, instituted at the Last Supper when Jesus commanded his disciples to “do this” in remembrance of him. Christ’s presence is truly known in the Holy Sacrament and his presence is also truly known in the gathered eucharistic community. The Eucharist, or “Thanksgiving”, is the central Christian remembrance of Christ’s life, death and resurrection. All baptized Christians of any tradition or denomination are invited to partake.
Confirmation
In the course of their Christian development, those baptized at an early age are expected, when they are ready, to make a mature public affirmation of their faith and to receive the laying on of hands by the bishop. Those baptized as adults(unless baptized with the laying on of hands by a bishop) are also expected to make a public affirmation of their faith in the presence of a bishop and to receive the laying on of hands. To learn more about Confirmation, please contact Fr. Eric.
Pledging
Regular, pledged financial support of any amount is an important part of Christian discipleship, and a practical form of, "giving for the spread of the Kingdom of God." Pledging members generate the majority of our operating budget, and participate in elections and voting at our Annual Parish Meeting. To learn more about pledging, please download our FAQ document below. Pledge Cards may also be downloaded below and returned via the weekly offering or mailed to the church office.
[excerpts taken from The Book of Common Prayer]