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Trinity Episcopal Church Church: 379 Gay St. /Office: 370 Gay St.
Mailing: PO Box 299
Washington, Virginia 22747-0299
(540) 675-3716 »

Membership

Are you a parent presenting a child for Baptism at Trinity?  Are you preparing for your wedding to be celebrated at Trinity?  Do you have friends or family members who attend Trinity?  Have you been visiting Trinity regularly?  Do you not currently have a church home?  If any of these describe you, now would be a good time to consider formalizing your membership at Trinity Church. 

All persons are welcome to attend the worship services and activities offered at Trinity.  We add church Visitors to our mailing list, so that they may be aware of all of our activities.

If you consider Trinity to be your church home and wish to become a church Member, please notify the clergy.  We will just need some basic information about your Baptism date and place, and about your previous church home for our parish records.

You are considered a member of the Episcopal Church by becoming a member of any one of its congregations.  Your name remains on that parish’s records for life, or until your record is transferred to another congregation.  A Certificate of Membership is sent from one congregation to another to remove a member from the one parish’s records and add them to the other parish’s records. Even if you have come from a church of another denomination we will request a certificate of membership or its equivalent from them; this helps the other church keep its records current.

The certificate of membership further defines your level of church activity in the following terms:

A Baptized member has received Christian Baptism by water, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and has the record of that Baptism on file with the parish.  The Episcopal Church recognizes and accepts most mainstream denominations’ ceremonies of Baptism.  Some denominations’ ceremonies of Baptism however, such as Christian Science, Latter Day Saints, or Unitarian, might not fit the above description; please confer with the clergy if you are not sure.

An Adult Baptized member is at least 16 years old.

A Communicant member has, over the previous year, received Holy Communion at least three times in that congregation. 

A Communicant In Good Standing member has, over the previous year, been faithful in attending corporate worship, unless prevented by good cause; and has been faithful in praying, working, and giving for the spread of the Kingdom of God.  A minimal understanding of “giving” is that the member regularly supports the parish financially.

A Confirmed member is one who has made a mature public profession of faith in Jesus Christ in the presence of an Episcopal Bishop.  You are considered confirmed if you have been baptized as an adult by an Episcopal Bishop; been baptized as an adult and then had your baptismal vows Reaffirmed by an Episcopal Bishop; been confirmed by an Episcopal Bishop; or been confirmed in another denomination and been Received by an Episcopal Bishop into the Episcopal Church.

Only adult confirmed communicant members in good standing can vote in parish meetings and hold parish offices such as Warden, Vestry Member, Treasurer, or Parish Register. It is hoped that persons serious about their faith who do not have another church home and who feel so called will become confirmed communicant members in good standing at Trinity. 

Are you an adult who has not been baptized, confirmed, or received into the Episcopal church from another denomination?  If so, please contact the Rector.