We welcome all persons, regardless of membership in this or any church, to worship, pray, serve, and grow with us in the name and spirit of Jesus the Risen Lord.
Our church, like many, values a commitment to what we call membership. But membership is only one form of affiliation. Many who are active with Providence are not “members” but are connected through attendance, prayer, tithes and offerings, and service. Some who are affiliated are part of the core of our congregation, attending (or watching) regularly, giving faithfully, serving joyfully, and praying regularly. Others are on the circumference of the church, attending sporadically, giving occasionally, and joining in the service and fellowship every now and then. Still others live at a distance but read the newsletter, watch the Sunday broadcast, and communicate with us occasionally. We honor and receive all people who feel connected to our little church!
A little more about membership: we commit ourselves to the life and ministry of this particular congregation by becoming a member. This is done by speaking to the pastor, preacher, or any church leader and expressing a desire to join the church. Sometimes this invitation to membership is included as part of a public worship service; at that time, any person can step forward and express a desire to become a member.
Members of the church are expected
- to pray for the church, her ministers and leaders, and for all those in authority (judges, principals, managers, governors, and such),
- to participate in the worship and service of the congregation, attending as often as possible and assisting in effort to serve the needs of others.
- to give attention to their own growth as a believer, leaving behind attitudes, behaviors, and addictions that are inconsistent with living and loving like Jesus.
- to contribute generously to the work of the church, the relief of the poor, and the support of Christian mission.
- to avoid all behavior and speech that is hurtful to the congregation or to any individual member of the congregation.
- to live out the Lord’s Prayer: providing food for those who need food, confessing sin, forgiving offenses and seeking reconciliation, and resisting evil in all of its forms: personal, organizational, and social.
All members of this church are baptized Christians.
Most have been baptized in the way common to Baptists: immersed in water as a sign of repentance—the washing of the water—and raised from the water as a sign of new life in Christ. This kind of baptism occurs when a person—an older child, an adolescent, or an adult of any age—testifies to faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and to a commitment to live a Christian life of worship and service. We do, however, receive into membership those who have been baptized as Christians in other ways, such as pouring or sprinkling, even as infants.
In obedience to the command of Jesus, we do baptize by immersion those who profess faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior and proclaim intention to live and love as Jesus did. Most often, this is done in conjunction with a request for membership in this congregation.
We also receive members who have been members of another congregation, upon confirmation through letter that such persons are in good standing with that other congregation. We have Baptist roots and Presbyterian and Methodist and Catholic and . . . What leads us is not a “denomination” but a personal Savior who loves each person. Our hearts are open to all on the journey of learning who God is and his interactions with us throughout history. We believe God leads people to where they need to be at that moment in their journey. Where are you? God meets needs in many ways, using circumstances and people.
Week after week, we invite you to join us (at the center, on the circumference, or in our orbit!) in making waves of welcome and wonder!!
