All are welcome to worship at Raunds Methodist Church and be part of our fellowship. We are part of the universal Church of Christ; as Methodists we can bring our own special witness and gifts to the church universal.
Confirmation is when a person chooses to make a public declaration of faith and commitment. It is a time when we recognise God’s love for us and our desire to follow Christ and live a life of discipleship. This isn’t an easy path, but one we as Christians travel together. Some people are confirmed as teenagers or adults having been baptised as children; people who have not been baptised before are baptised and confirmed in the same service.
When people are confirmed within the Methodist Church, they are also ‘received into membership’ of the Methodist Church. The history of this goes back to the early days of Methodism, when the founders of Methodism – brothers John and Charles Wesley – were in a club of people who met regularly to pray, worship God, read the bible and encourage each other to live a life of holiness. People around them called them ‘Methodists’ as an insult because of how methodical they were. The name stuck! When people become members of the Methodist Church, they too are devoting themselves to prayer, worship, bible study and living a life of holiness. Being a member brings rights and responsibilities – together members make decisions about and are responsible for the life of the church.
In becoming a member of the Methodist Church, we are connected with all other Methodists and Christians all over the world. We become part of a very large family! People who come from other Christian traditions or denominations may also become members of the Methodist Church.
If you’d like more information about this, people see the national Methodist Church website - http://www.methodist.org.uk/who-we-are/membership - or contact Rev Kim Shorley.