Becoming a member

If you are seeking a church home in Jacksonville, we welcome you to join us as a member of St. John’s Cathedral. Here is information we hope is helpful:

Baptism
Any person already baptized may be registered as a baptized member of St. John’s Cathedral.  According to our Book of Common Prayer,  “Holy Baptism is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ’s Body, the Church.”  The Episcopal Church recognizes as valid any baptism administered with water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  If you would like to be baptized, or desire to have a child baptized, please call the office, 356-5507, and ask to speak with one of our clergy or Monica MacKenzie, Canon Administrator. We perform the Sacrament of Holy Baptism at St. John’s during the 9 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. Sunday services, unless noted otherwise. The dates for Holy Baptism for the year 2012 are:
January 8, April 8 (6 a.m. Easter Vigil), May 27 (9 a.m. Pentecost service), August 12, and November 4.

Transfer of Membership
If you were confirmed in the Episcopal Church, or have been a member of another Episcopal Church, please call the cathedral office and request that your Letter of Membership be transferred here.  Please provide the church name and city, the approximate date of your confirmation, and/or the approximate dates of membership at your previous parish.

Confirmation, Reception, and Reaffirmation
Members of the church who were baptized as infants may choose to reaffirm their faith as adults through the Rite of Confirmation by the Bishop.  In addition, those who have been confirmed in other denominations by a bishop in “apostolic succession” (Roman Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, or Eastern Orthodox) may be received into the Episcopal Church by the Bishop. Those who have been baptized and confirmed in the Episcopal Church and desire to recommit themselves to the life of faith may choose to reaffirm their baptismal covenant with the Bishop.

Our Basic Anglicanism course,  held throughout the year, prepares participants for confirmation, reception, and reaffirmation during the Bishop’s annual parish visit in the spring.  This course is taught by Dean Kate Moorehead. If you wish to be confirmed or received, or wish to reaffirm your baptismal covenant, and particularly if you are uncertain about which of these rites may be appropriate for you, please call the office, 356-5507, to speak with one of our clergy.

Pledging
All Christians are called to contribute a portion of their time, talent, and money toward the work of the Church.  Becoming involved with one of the specific ministries at St. John’s as well as making a financial pledge offer members significant ways to contribute.  Pledging reflects our prayerful response to God’s call to us to be good stewards of material possessions.  Every fall during our season of stewardship, members of the cathedral are asked to prayerfully make their pledges.  At St. John’s we affirm that stewardship is not just a fundraising campaign, it is a way of life.   Those joining the cathedral during the year may pledge at any time by completing a pledge card online or picking one up at church and returning it to the office.