Membership with St. Anne’s
How can you become a member? First of all, everyone who steps through our doors is a member of our family whether you formally declare membership or not, we love you and yours just the same. Secondly, we’re excited you’re considering making a formal declaration of membership to St. Anne’s! Please contact The Rev. Manoj Mathew Zacharia and he will be happy to help you.
General Information About Membership
At St. Anne’s, you’re always considered to be part of the family circle, whether you formalize your membership or not. Of course there are benefits to active membership including the value of joining a community and the lasting friendships that can be developed. According to the Diocese and Episcopal Church as a whole, membership has two main categories, Members in Good Standing and Attendees. One of the reasons the phrase ‘church membership’ can be confusing, is because active membership is based on support of the church and attendance at services.
In order to be considered a Member in Good Standing, you must either Pledge (see more here) or give to the church at least three times in a year. You must also attend church at least three times a year.
An Attendee is someone that attends church on a regular basis but may not be “known to the treasurer”.
Please fill out the information below to request active membership.
Baptism
Another formal act of membership is baptism. Baptism makes us members of the Church (Christianity as a whole) and we can then live into the meaning of our baptism within specific congregations and Christian denominations. The sections below will spell this out more fully.
1. The Episcopal Church recognizes as Christian all persons who have been baptized with water and in the name of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit).
2. If you were baptized into in an Episcopal congregation then, in addition to becoming a member of the Church, you were enrolled as a member of that particular congregation and also became an “Episcopalian.” You are member at the church where you were baptized until death or until you transfer to another congregation. So, if you were baptized at St. Anne’s, then you are a baptized member here. If you have asked that the record of your baptism be transferred here, then you are a member here as well.
3. If you were baptized with water and in the name of the Trinity in another Christian communion or denomination, you can become a member of St. Anne’s Church by asking that your letter of baptism be transferred so that you can be enrolled on the books of this parish. This makes you a baptized member of the Episcopal Church in general and a member of St. Anne’s Church specifically.
4. All baptized members are encouraged to receive the sacrament of confirmation, either when they reach maturity or in connection with baptism if they are baptized as adults. In confirmation ‘we express a mature commitment to Christ and receive strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by a bishop.’ After confirmation, a person is a confirmed member.
5. If you were baptized and confirmed in another church you may be received (rather than reconfirmed) by a bishop of The Episcopal Church. This makes you a confirmed member of The Episcopal Church.
Other Information
Adult Members in Good Standing (16 years of age and older) may vote for Vestry (the ruling body of the congregation), run for the Vestry, and represent the congregation in the Diocese.
We hope this answers some of your questions and we encourage you to be in touch. Everyone is always welcome at St. Anne’s!