M-Note 2.15.2022

By Matt Miofsky

Tonight The Gathering is having a Commit Service at 7pm at our Clayton site and online. This is an opportunity to join The Gathering in membership, remember your baptism, or to be baptized for the first time. Many folks will ask me, “Pastor Matt, how do I become an official member of the church?” Tonight is how! I will talk about what commitment in membership means, why I think it is important, and how it can impact our lives. We will have a short worship service where people will have an opportunity to be baptized or remember their baptism. Then at the end, anyone who would like to join The Gathering in membership can. It is a powerful service and I urge you to come check it out. You can join us in-person or online (see the link below). You won’t be sorry you did. And just in case you are wondering why membership matters, I give you three reasons why I still think joining a church can make a difference in your faith:
 
1. Membership is an outward sign of an inward decision
 
When we make decisions in our life, it is important to mark them, to make them real for us, and to let others know that something has changed in our life. Many of us have had profound experiences of God in the church. We have discovered faith for the first time or returned to faith in Christ after many years of being away or feeling alienated. Those stories are powerful, and membership in a church is a way of marking that journey back to faith for ourselves and others.
 
2.  Membership helps us give and receive support
 
We cannot do life or faith alone. We need the support of other people to lift us up in hard times, celebrate with us in good times, give us wisdom when we are uncertain, and challenge us when we are stuck. We also have an opportunity to be there for others who are struggling on their own journey. Joining a church in membership is a way of depending on others, soliciting support for our faith, and promising to be there for others when they need us.  
 
3. Membership makes an investment
 
A community only works when people are invested in it. A church can only be light to others if there are people invested in making that community one of welcome and hope. Membership is a step we make to invest in a community that has done so much for us, so that we can help it be there for others. When we serve, give financially, join in worship, or stay dedicated to a CoreGroup, we are helping to make sure that the church is there for other people, just as it was for us when we most needed it.
 
So, I hope that you will join me tonight to hear about membership at The Gathering and consider making that commitment yourself. You can join us in-person or online. Register below (you'll find a link to the online service in the confirmation message of the registration form). I can’t wait to see you.
 
Peace,