I’m sure you have heard the old African proverb that it takes a village to raise a child.  Well, the truth is that it takes a church to raise a Christian.  We need one another.  We need to pray for one another, to learn from one another, to encourage one another, and at times to challenge one another.  We need other Christians to journey with us as we grow in our Christian faith.  Members are those who have committed to journeying together.

Unfortunately, we often associate the word membership with clubs and associations.  But membership in the church is a very different type of belonging.  Being a member of a church requires first of all a commitment to Christ and secondly it requires a commitment to a particular worshipping community with a specific mission and particular values.  When you join in ministry with us at Trinity, you are also joining in ministry with United Methodist Christians  throughout the world.   That is why we ask new members for a promise to support Trinity and the United Methodist Church with their prayers, their presence, their gifts and their service.

But membership also means that we at Trinity are committed to supporting you with our prayers, our presence, our gifts, and our service.  Membership at Trinity initiates you into a new and bigger Christian family!

You may become a member in one of the following ways:

• Transfer of Membership from another United Methodist Church—If you are currently an active member of another United Methodist Church, you may choose to have your membership transferred. We will ask if you will faithfully support this congregation with “your prayers, your presence, your gifts and your service.”
• Transfer of Membership from another denomination—If you are currently an active member of another denomination, you may choose to have your membership dropped from their rolls and become a member here. We recognize all types of Christian baptism and will not require you to be re-baptized regardless of when and how old you were when you were baptized.  We will ask you to be loyal to the United Methodist Church and to faithfully support this congregation with “your prayers, your presence, your gifts and your service.”
• Reaffirmation of Faith—If you have been baptized at some point in your life, but have not been actively involved in a church for quite some time, you may join by reaffirmation of your faith.  We will ask you if you believe in Jesus Christ and if you will affirm your faith as found in both the old and New Testaments.    We will then ask you to be loyal to the United Methodist Church and to faithfully support this congregation with “your prayers, your presence, your gifts and your service.”
• Confession/Profession of Faith— If you have never been baptized and have never made a decision to express your commitment to Christ or never actually joined a church, you may join by confession of your faith and Christian baptism.   If you have been baptized but have never joined a church or confirmed your faith, you may join by profession of faith.  Youth making professions of faith will be enrolled in the next confirmation class and adults are encouraged to attend the next Starting Point Class.

There is an opportunity to join Trinity at every worship service.  While the exact spot in the service may vary depending on the style of service or the particular Sunday, you are always invited to come forward when the pastor issues the invitation and join Trinity by any of the methods listed above.  If you wish, you may contact us and let us know that you plan to join on a particular Sunday, but that is not necessary.

Before or after you join, we encourage you to enroll in the next Starting Point class, which will tell you more about Trinity, our staff, our mission and vision and about Methodism.  You can find out about the next Starting Point class by contacting Amy McBroom, our program ministries director, at 883-3200 ext. 226.

Children who have already received Christian baptism, but who have not confessed their faith in Jesus Christ, will be enrolled as preparatory members of Trinity until they are old enough to participate in confirmation classes.   Youth may choose to join on profession of faith and they will be enrolled in our next confirmation class.

Children and youth who have not yet been baptized are still a very important part of our community! And we will pray and work toward the day that they are baptized and confess their faith.  

The baptism of infants and children is a special moment in the life of the church.  We have regularly scheduled Baptism Sundays every other month and Confirmation classes for youth are offered annually with a special confirmation service in the spring.  If you wish to have your child baptized, please contact Audrey Parker at 883-3200 ext. 214 for more information.  If you wish to sign your youth up for confirmation classes, please contact Tony Akers at 883-3200 ext. 223.

Call or e-mail Rev. Abi Carlisle-Wilke at 883-3200 ext. 213 with your questions.  Or contact Amy McBroom at 883-3200 ext. 226 to sign up for our next Starting Point class.  You may also want to check out the United Methodist Church website which has the answers to many of your questions about the Methodist Church’s beliefs, traditions, and organizations.