Searching for a Church Home
Some say becoming part of St. Anne’s feels more like a “calling” than it does joining a church. If you are searching for a new church home, we would love for you to consider whether God is calling you here.
The first step in considering any new church is to give it several tries. Don’t judge a church by one service, event, or sermon. Instead, get a feel for the place, the people, and the message over time. Once you’ve been enough times, you’ll know whether it’s “home.”
If St. Anne’s feels like home to you, we invite you to become a member through one of the means described below. If St. Anne’s isn’t the fit you’re looking for, know that our Rector is happy to help you find a church that meets your needs. We are one good vehicle for the pursuit of God, but we are not the only one. It’s our pleasure to help you find the right church home, wherever that may be.
Baptism
Baptism with water in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is the age-old sacrament through which we are adopted into Christ’s body, the Church. In being baptized at St. Anne’s you become a Christian, an Episcopalian, and a member of our local congregation all in one act. Baptism is available to people of all ages, including infants, but is an extremely serious decision and should be made prayerfully and deliberately. If you or your child have never been baptized and are interested, please schedule an appointment with the Rector. At St. Anne’s we generally plan baptisms during regularly scheduled Sunday services four or five times a year. Except in cases of extreme emergency, we do not offer private baptisms.
Confirmation or Reception
Those who have been baptized with water (whether sprinkled or immersed) in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in any Christian denomination may join St. Anne’s and the larger Episcopal Church through either Reception or Confirmation, which both take place when our Bishop makes his annual visitation to St. Anne’s. If you have made a mature, public declaration of your faith in Christ in your previous denomination, you will be received. If you have not, you will be confirmed. Reception and Confirmation both require completion of the Rector’s Episcopal 101 class, which is generally offered twice a year at St. Anne’s.
Letter of Transfer
If you are already an Episcopalian, transferring your membership from one Episcopal church to another is easy. Simply contact the church where your membership was last recorded or give the information to our church office, and we will contact them for a letter of transfer. It’s a good idea always to maintain an active membership at the church you are currently attending. Should you later move away from St. Anne’s, we will forward your letter to your new church home at your request.