Becoming A Member

If you have visited Palm Desert Community Presbyterian Church, we trust that you liked what you saw, enjoyed the people you met and appreciated the ideas you heard. So what is the next step in becoming a member of our Church?

A class for new members is held at least four times each year to provide information to persons considering PDCPC as their spiritual home. This is a three-hour session and childcare can be provided if requested. During each class, our Pastors explain the history and foundation of the Presbyterian Church and discuss our faith and our responsibilities to the Church and to one another. Several of our Elders then share with the group the many opportunities for individual participation in the activities of our Church. At the close of the meeting, those so choosing are welcomed and received into membership of PDCPC by the Pastors and the Elders present. The new members are then publicly recognized by the congregation at a Sunday morning service soon thereafter.

You may enter into active membership of PDCPC in the following ways:

• Profession of faith
  If you have previously been baptized, perhaps at an early age, but have not made a profession of your faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you may now make such public profession.
• Profession of faith and baptism
  If you have not been baptized, you may make a public profession of your faith in Christ and receive the Sacrament of Baptism after appropriate instruction.
• Reaffirmation of faith
  If you have previously made a profession of faith and have been an active member of another church, you may make a public reaffirmation of your faith in Christ.
• Certificate of transfer from another church
  If you have previously made a profession of faith and have been an active member of another church, you may be received as a member by the Session upon receipt of a certificate of transfer from the church in which you have been most recently a member. Upon your direction, our Clerk of Session will request the certificate of transfer from your previous church.

• proclaiming the Good News;
• taking part in the common life and worship of the church;
• praying and studying Scripture;
• supporting the church through the giving of money, time and talents;
• participating in the governing responsibilities of the church;
• responding to God's activity in the world through service to others;
• living responsibly in one's personal, family, vocational, political and cultural life; and
• working in the world for peace, justice, freedom and human fulfillment.