How to Join | The Churches Expectations of Members | Members’ Expectations of the Church

How to become a member of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church

1. If member of another Episcopal Church, request the Parish Office to transfer your membership.

2. If baptized member of another denomination or fellowship, request the Parish Office to give you information forms.

3. If not baptized, speak to the Clergy about Baptismal preparation.

4. Under any circumstances, please feel free to speak to the Clergy.

Note: In the Episcopal Church, one is completely initiated and fully a member of the Body of Christ when baptized. We strongly recommend that people be confirmed as well (Confirmation represents a mature affirmation of faith, a reaffirmation of Baptismal vows, and is signified by the laying on of hands by the bishop), although the only practical downside to not being confirmed is that one is not eligible to be a Vestry member, or Convention delegate.

What St. Peter’s Parish expects of her members

In the Catechism (Book of Common Prayer, p.856), we read: “The duty of all Christians is to follow Christ; to come together week by week for corporate worship; and to work, pray, and give for the spread of the Kingdom of God.” Therefore, we expect our members to:

1. follow Christ - that is, to be Christ’s people wherever we are, whatever we’re doing, remembering both who we are, and whose we are.

2. come together week by week for corporate worship- to attend church with the Body of Christ each week, wherever we may be, or whatever else may be going on in our lives (obviously emergencies, illness, crisis, etc. may occasionally prevent us from doing so). Also to worship on specific Holy Days of the Church (Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Holy Week and Easter, Pentecost) and other times as possible.

3. work, pray, and give for the spread of the Kingdom:
   1. work - to offer one’s time and talent in service to the Church and the world.

   2. pray - to be regular, sincere, and open in prayer with God (remember, prayer is not only “talking”, but also “listening”)

   3. give - to return to God, through the parish, from the bounty God has given us. We ask our members to pledge to the parish in the areas of time, talent, and treasure. We teach proportionate giving (that is, percentage giving), and hold the tithe (10%) to be the minimum standard which guides us in our giving of money.

What her members may expect of St. Peter’s Parish

St. Peter’s Parish is a community of Christian people that provides a setting for: worship, Christian formation, pastoral care (including spiritual support and counsel), Christian service, and inspiration and training to be a disciple of Christ.

1. worship - members may expect that on Sundays, Holy days, and various other occasions, the parish will offer worship, to and by its members, that is carefully and thoughtfully planned and carried out, that is centered on the Lordship of Jesus Christ, that is characterized by the joy and grace of Christ, that is in the tradition and spirit of the Anglican (Episcopal) Church, and that is inviting and hospitable to all. We encourage and depend on our members to participate in the planning and carrying out of our worship.

2. Christian formation - otherwise known as “education”, we choose to use the word “formation” because our intent is not that people simply accumulate knowledge of data, but that they be “formed” as Christian people. At St. Peter’s, this takes shape in children’s Sunday School, Junior and Senior High Youth groups, Adult Sunday Education, Bible Study groups, and various and occasional other “formational” events.

3. pastoral care (including spiritual support and counsel) - not only the clergy, but the leaders and people of the parish are available to provide prayer, support, counsel, the sacraments, encouragement, and simply their presence to those in need, not at all limited to, but characterized by occasions such as: surgery, illness, death, and other occasions of crisis; joyful times - birth of a child, marriage, new job, new home; when alcohol or other drugs become a problem; or simply when the events and issues in life are weighing heavily.

4. Christian service - most of our ministry as Christians takes place beyond the parish boundaries, but there are many ministries that are carried out in the name of the parish. Outreach ministries such as the Barnabas Center, Habitat for Humanity, the Caribbean Missions, etc. are examples.

5. inspiration and training to be a disciple of Christ - actually, this is a bit redundant, for all of the above is part of this. Membership in a parish is very different from membership in many organizations (e.g. - a country club), because the ultimate vision and goal of the Church is to live into and participate in bringing about the Kingdom of God. That takes place in a parish when what we strive to do is not to simply take our place in a group of people who look, think, and act like we do, but to be part of Christ’s ministry in the world.

May 1998 The Reverend George D. Young, III

St.   Peter’s  Episcopal  Church
Atlantic Avenue and 8th Street
Fernandina Beach, FL 32034
(904) 261-4293
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