St. George the Great Martyr Orthodox Church
A parish of the Orthodox Church in America
Am I a member or a visitor

Of course, we welcome visitors, always. Who is a visitor? Visitors are all the non-Orthodox as well as all the Orthodox who, even if they are local and might even attend church regularly, do nothing else beside this attendance and, possibly, the occasional contribution to our fellowship, which is open to all, members and visitors alike. Visitors do not contribute to the well-being of the parish, in regular volunteering and/or donations and by holding official offices or functions.

Now, who is a member? The membership imagery of the church is scriptural. The church is a body, says St. Paul (for example, in 1 Corinthians 12). Each organ or member of a body has its own function and works in the body to the well-being of all the other members and to the building up of the entire body in maturation. A member of the parish does the same thing within the parish. A member:

  1. is Orthodox, AND
  2. is in good standing in the Church, AND
  3. contributes regularly to the well-being of the parish, in time and/or money (at least $1,200 a year per person or $2,400 for a couple/family).

Per the statutes of the Orthodox Church in America, a member becomes a "voting member" (which means that he/she can serve in official functions of the parish and can vote on parish matters) after at least one year of membership.

Therefore, you are not a member but a visitor if any one of the things below applies to you:

  1. you have not been received into the Orthodox Church (yet), OR
  2. you are not in good standing in the Church, OR
  3. you do not contriibute regularly to the life of the parish.

It should also be said that a member does not just come to church and, on occasion, bring food to our fellowship and clean up after themselves. Visitors do that, too. Of course, if you do not want to take on the extra responsibilities of being a member but would still like to help the parish at your own pace, you can remain a visitor and still help. All help is welcome and all visitors are welcome! 

The following point must be emphasized: the difference between visitor and member is not one in how we perceive you, but rather it is a difference in how you relate to the parish, in whether you wish and find yourself able to contribute to its well-being on a regular basis. We pray for all, we welcome all, we receive prayer requests from all. We commemorate all Orthodox the same, whether members or visitors, or stoppers-by. 

Also, we understand that many of us may be people without financial means. That is not an impediment to membership. Our parishes, long before our own St. George's, from the very beginning of the Church in the first century, had people of limited means in them. Yet, everyone served the common goal, the body of Christ, in their own ways. Some gave money because they had money to give, but others gave their hands to Christ through physical labor, others gave their eyes through supervision, others their legs through running the different errands of the parish, others their mouths through teaching, etc. Membership does not include only money! All these different functions are equally essential to the parish, and all functions together constitute the one body.
 
Also, reversely, someone who works highly demanding jobs, travels a lot, or works in weekends, has no impediment from being a member. They can contribute money and attend weekday services and Sunday services as much as possible. Distance, the complications of life, or poverty should stop no one from being members of the same body of Christ with us, from adding their voices to ours in that groaning which ushers in the kingdom of heaven and takes all our efforts—small and large—into its eternity.
 
If you are received into the Church at our parish, know that Fr. Silviu expects all new Orthodox to be members of the parish. 
 
If you are a member, here is the current membership form. Please print it, fill is out and hand it to the warden of our parish, or to either one of our treasurers (see the current list of our parish council members), or to Melissa Renner, our administrator. Please keep in mind that members will have to fill out a new membership form each year! The form is given out to all current Orthodox participants in our parish life at each annual parish meeting. New members of the parish, please fill out the form as soon as you join and return it to the aforementioned members. 

Mailing Address
St. George Orthodox Church
PO Box 667
Pharr, TX 78577
Location
704 W Sam Houston
Pharr, TX 78577
Email and Phone
stgeorgepharrtx@gmail.com
956-781-6114 (Phone)