Becoming a member at Church of the Holy Family is a straightforward process, and one we take seriously.
Q: Who can become a member of Holy Family?
A: Anyone. Any man, woman, or child may ask to be enrolled in the congregation as a member. If you have been baptized, you will be enrolled as a baptized member and would be considered a communicant of the parish; if you have also been confirmed or received into The Episcopal Church, then you will be enrolled as a baptized, confirmed communicant.
Q: How can I become a member?
A: You need to let a member of the parish staff know that you seek to establish a membership at Holy Family and then we will be in touch with you. It’s possible for this to be done electronically, but it’s something we find works best with a conversation. We will ask you to provide us with your full name, birthday, address, telephone numbers, email address, baptism status, information (if applicable) about the other members of your household who also wish to join, i.e. your spouse, children, parents living with you. Basically, we need to know about you and how to be in touch with you. We will also give you information about how to be in touch with us, along with details about programs, how to support us financially, and how you can get involved in acts of Christian service. After that information is shared, we will consider you a member of Church of the Holy Family and you can consider us your church.
Q: What if I’m already a member of another Episcopal Church?
A: No worries. We will send a request to transfer your membership from your old church to Holy Family. We do it all the time.
Q: What if I’m not baptized?
A: If you desire baptism, then we would love to baptize you. Please speak with the clergy about a baptism.
Q: Do I have to be confirmed?
A: No, but we hope you will consider it eventually. You do have to be confirmed to be a member of the vestry or to vote in parish elections.
Q: What else should I know about church membership?
A: We understand church membership to be fundamentally different from, say, membership in a community organization like a neighborhood pool. The Christian Church does not exist to be of service to you. God desires us to be in community with one another; indeed, he has created us for this very purpose. We have mutual expectations. We hope you will call on us in your time of need. We will call upon you when we are in need. We will support each other in prayer and fellowship. We expect you to give serious consideration of how you will financially support our common ministries. We want to give you the gift of serious Christian formation, a grounding in Holy Scripture, and a loving place where you can live out your life in Christ.