Becoming a "member" of Saint Matthew Orthodox Church can mean different things:

- you are not an Orthodox Christian but are interested in formally joining the Church

- you are an Orthodox Christian already and recently started attending our parish 

If you are not yet Orthodox Christian, we wholeheartedly welcome you to attend services and immerse yourself in the Orthodox liturgical life, as much as possible. For now, you cannot receive any sacraments (Eucharist, Confession, etc.) but you are welcome to attend, sing along, pray in an Orthodox manner at home, and in every way, commit yourself to the life in Jesus Christ. This life of course includes not just the "particularly Orthodox" things, but mainly, the essential things that Jesus preached: repentance, love of God, love of neighbor, manifesting our faith by good works, etc.

The formal process of becoming an Orthodox Christian in our parish is as follows:

- you attend services for approximately one year, taking time to be sure that this is what you want to do

- you commit to living out the Gospel commands - repentance, love of God, love of neighbor

- you engage in personal prayer to God at home, incorporating Orthodox prayers over time

- you attend the cohort of Catechism classes (usually taking place over 4 months in the winter on Sunday afternoons, in preparation for Pascha (Easter))

- you talk from time to time with the priest in calls and one on one meetings

- you immerse yourself in the parish community and learn from those who have gone before you in entering into the parish, choosing a parishioner as a sponsor to guide you in the faith

- ultimately, you are received into the Church according to the norms of the Orthodox Church in America:

---for those who have not been baptized, by Baptism;

---for those who have been baptized in a Roman Catholic or Protestant community in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in Water, as Christ taught, by Confession and Chrismation

If you are already Orthodox Christian, and just moved to the area or just began attending our church, you are considered a member very simply by:

- being over 18 years old

- donating any amount in stewardship, remembering that we are all stewards and recipient of God's gifts

- engaging in parish life by regular attendance at services, and also in volunteering and helping out as you are able

- Confessing and Communing in the Church:

--- Confession at least once a year during Great Lent is strongly encouraged as an annual spiritual checkup, in being honest about the ways we fall short before God, with the priest as witness

--- most people in our parish Commune more regularly, but Communing at least once a year at Pascha time is strongly encouraged for those who Commune less frequently