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You may have thought of joining the church, but have been put off
by the "ceremonial" side of things. The following is a brief outline of what takes place.
The service will proceed as normal. at a suitable time in the
service, those joining the church by profession of Faith will be
asked to come and sit in the front row. The minister will explain
that certain people are joining the church by profession of Faith.
As your name is read out you are asked to stand.
The minister will then ask you the following questions:
- In coming to join the church, do you believe in one God,
Father, son and Hoy Spirit, and do you confess Jesus Chriast as
your Saviour and Lord?
- Do you promise to join regularly with your fellow Christians
in worship on the Lord's day?
- Do you promise to be faithful in reading the bible and in
prayer?
- Do you promise to give a fitting proportion of your time,
talents and money for the church's work in the world?
- Do you promise, depending on the grace of God, to confess
Christ before men, to honour Him in your daily work, and to walk
worthy of Him all the days of your life?
After taking these vows the minister will pray that God will
strengthen you by His Holy Spirit to enable you to keep these
vows. Thereafter as a sign of your welcome into full membership,
the minister and the members of the Kirk Session will then come
and give you the right hand of fellowship. At some suitable point
after this, e.g. the singing of the next hymn, you may make your
way back into the body of the congregation so that you can feel
less conspicuous! The rest of the service will then proceed as
normal, and you can relax! Towards the end of the service everyone
sitting in the centre two sections of the church will take
Communion together, so it is best if you look for a seat somewhere
in these two sections.
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