I'm New Here
Thank you for your interest in St. Peter’s as the place to call your new church home! Navigate through our website to learn more about who we are: how we worship, how we nurture our faith, how we take care of each other, how we serve the wider community. Come and join us on Sunday morning, talk to our friendly parishioners at fellowship after service, walk through our building and grounds.
Want to become a member of St. Peter’s? You can do so through transfer of membership, baptism, confirmation, or reception. If you have any questions about these processes, please don’t hesitate to contact our Church Office at 215-887-1765.
Membership Transfer
If you are a baptized member of another Episcopal Church, you can become a member of St. Peter’s through transfer of membership from your former parish. You will need to contact the parish and request that they send a letter of transfer of membership. If you have been a member of more than one parish, but do not believe you have ever officially had your membership transferred, then you must contact the parish where you were baptized and have them send a copy of your baptismal certificate to us.
Baptism
If you have not been baptized and want to be, or you’d like to have your child baptized, you are encouraged to contact our office at 215-887-1765 so that our rector can begin preparing you for your baptism. Baptisms are held here 3 or 4 times a year during the 10 a.m. service. We welcome anyone who wishes to be baptized to do so at one of those services. Those baptized in another Christian tradition do not need to be baptized again in the Episcopal tradition.
Confirmation
In the Episcopal Church, baptism is considered full membership in the Christian faith. In the sacrament of Confirmation, baptized youths and adults make a formal, mature affirmation of the faith and commitment to the responsibilities of the baptismal promises before the bishop, who marks the sacrament with the laying on of hands. Christians of other faiths who have not already been confirmed by a bishop are considered members of the Episcopal Church with this ritual. We encourage those who are not Episcopalians to consider going through an intentional Adult Inquirers’ Class which may lead to the sacrament of Confirmation. Baptized adults from another Christian tradition who were never confirmed are also asked to receive the sacrament.
Reception
The Rite of Reception is reserved for those who have been baptized and confirmed in another Christian tradition and who seek to be full members of the Episcopal Church. Like Confirmation, this commitment is made in the presence of the bishop. Adults who have already been confirmed in another tradition such as the Roman Catholic or Lutheran Churches are received into the Episcopal Church without having to renounce the previous rite.
Litany of Welcome
All newcomers are invited to participate in our Litany of Welcome as a public way to affirm your and your family’s desire to be a member of this community. It also allows the congregation the opportunity to welcome you and to pray with you. This brief ceremony takes place during the 10 a.m. service on the fourth Sunday of every month (Come 4th Sunday).