Reception of New Members

November 19, 2006 by
Filed under: Church New Member Process, Religion 

Today the Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church received me (and 15 others) as new members of the church.

All of us were asked to sit up front in the church along with our families.  Carolyn joined me this weekend (taking a break from the Catholic thing) and sat with me in the first pew.  I think I like it better towards the back.  The building looked full – just enough room for everybody to be comfortable rather than crammed in.

The bulletin included a legal size page with our pictures and self-written bios on both sides.

Just after the Children’s Message, we were called up by name to be recognized as new members.  One of us, Kate – a student at Princeton Seminary – needed to be baptized.  We were all asked the traditional baptism questions as our formal profession of faith, and then Kate was baptized in what has to be the wettest baptism I’ve ever seen in a Presbyterian church (water was actually running down her back).  Then the congregation read the Words of Welcome from the Book of Common Worship, and sang a hymn “Blest Be the Tie That Binds” and the congregation was then invited to pass the peace (moved from the beginning of the service).  The Peace was as chaotic as usual with the crowd of us tripping over each other.  Then we all sat down and the service continued.

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At the end of the service, the group of new members left at the beginning of the last hymn to form a receiving line in Fellowship Hall.  I managed to get Carolyn to stand next to me – after all she is part of the family now, too.  We then met a huge crowd of people, most of whom who told me their name and few that I remember, and then we had the cake that was specially made for us.  We chatted with all sorts of folks and then headed home.

This is the end of the journey that began in August 2005 when another volunteer at Camp Johnsonburg asked me “What church do you belong to?” and I had no answer.  It went on to include the Reconnecting with Faith – Finding Your Home retreat at camp and my church search.

While this is the end of the journey back home, it is certainly NOT the end of my spiritual journey.  I hope to bring you news as time goes on.  I look forward to this church finding a way to pull me into greater involvement – I’m eager to get started but I need help to find that first thing to volunteer for.  And I also look forward to telling the story of this successful journey at the new Reconnecting with Faith retreat next January.

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