Joining the church is a culmination of a search.  As United Methodist Christians we believe in the power of God's grace.  God has loved us for our whole lives and has been courting us into relationship.  God has courted us through the love of a grandmother who brought us to church when we were young.  God has called out to us through Christian Contemporary Music or through a spiritual friend.  Maybe God has been courting you through reading the Bible.
 
Because of God's calling out to you through all these various ways -- you have questions.  And you began to search for a place that can journey with you as you search out answers to your questions.  Joining the church is a part of that process of finding answers. 
 
Many of us were baptized as infants or children but our families never carried through with the commitment to see us brought up in the faith.  Some of us have never been baptized.  Others have made a prayerful commitment to ask for forgiveness of our sins and to claim Jesus Christ as our Lord & Savior.  But over the months or years we have fallen out of the habit, and don't have a community of friends to journey in discipleship.
 
Joining the church is a part of becoming a Christian.  United Methodist Christians believe that commitment to Jesus Christ is one step in that process.  Being baptized is a public display of your commitment to the new creation God is forming in your life.  Baptism is also the way we initiate new members to the church.  Baptism is something that we don't 'do over' as if it didn't work.  The most important aspect of baptism is that it is God's love lived out in your life.  Baptism always works - because God's love is more powerful than anything - even the grave.
 
If you have been baptized in the past - Port Neches - First United Methodist church welcomes you and affirms your baptism.  We'd love for you to prayerfully consider taking the vow of membership and joining our congregation.
 
Becoming a member is a way to live out your discipleship with others.  We believe that Christians are not just forgiven for their sins - but they are forgiven for a reason - to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the world.  The way we show our gratitude to God for salvation is in our commitment to being a disciple of Jesus.  And discipleship is always best lived out with others.
 
The membership vow of United Methodist Congregations is, "Having accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord & Savior, I vow to support this church by my prayers, my presence, my gifts, my service and my witness."  To learn more about what it means to make this vow feel free to click through the links and read what our pastor has written in the past about discipleship.  And of course you are welcome to contact our pastor (722-8357) if you have questions about salvation, baptism, discipleship or membership.