Join us for our Outdoor Family Christmas Festival on Dec. 5 at 4:00 pm.Learn More About Us Ministries Serve Connect Media Giving BECOME AN MDPC MEMBER Discover MDPC New Member Class Frequently Asked Questions Connect with Us Being a member of MDPC is saying Yes to the Family and Yes to the Mission that God has given us at MDPC. Becoming a member of a church is an important step of faith after saying Yes to Jesus and becoming a Christian. Membership would be a great next step of faith if you are a Christian and you’d like MDPC to be your church home. Learn more about becoming a member by checking out Discover MDPC or the New Member Class. Attending Discover MDPC is not a requirement to register for the New Member Class, though it is a great way to get to meet our Senior Pastor and hear more about the MDPC family and mission. If you have any questions about becoming a member, becoming a Christian, or figuring our your next step of faith in Jesus, feel free to reach out to Pastor Dan Aikins at 713-490-9292 or daikins@mdpc.org. DISCOVER MDPC Attend Discover MDPC with Alf Discover MDPC is a chance to get to know MDPC through a conversation with our Senior Pastor, Alf Halvorson. Alf will share about the history, mission, and vision of MDPC. He will also answer questions you have and share about the ministry at and through MDPC. Choose one of the Sunday dates below. Upcoming Dates for Discover MDPC 2021 Dates: Select Sundays, 10:45-11:10 AM October 31 | In-Person in The Gathering Room | Zoom Links Here NEW MEMBER CLASS The New Member Class is our process for learning the history, vision, and mission of MDPC. The class is led by Associate Pastors, Elders, and staff, and you will be invited to explore if becoming a member is the right next step in your faith in Jesus. After finishing the class and deciding that becoming a member is indeed the right next step, you will be introduced at a worship service to the congregation and invited to meet with Session (board of Elders) to be received as a member of MDPC. If you’d like to learn more about what it is to be a Christian or how to begin a relationship with Jesus, reach out to Pastor Dan Aikins by clicking here. He would love to hear your story and answer any questions you might have. We invite you, too, to try Alpha. Alpha at MDPC is a series of interactive sessions to explore faith, ask questions, and share your own thoughts. Learn more about Alpha at alpha.mdpc.org. Register for New Member Classes Learn more about what membership at MDPC is all about and more about the New Member Class by looking over our FAQ or click here to email Pastor Dan Aikins. FAQ What does it mean to become a member of MDPC? Because "membership' is a term used for lots of organizations like gyms, country clubs, and streaming services, it can be pretty confusing when we apply it to churches. Whereas membership in the other things consists of paying a fee to receive services, church membership is about partnering alongside the other church members and pastors under Jesus' leadership to accomplish the mission and vision God has given us. The confusion on membership is why our family of churches also refers to church membership as Covenant Partnership. A covenant is a binding commitment made between two parties, and partnership implies a collaborative relationship of working together toward a common purpose. So becoming a member (or covenant partner) at MDPC is a commitment from MDPC to you to support you, equip you, and nourish you as a disciple of Jesus. It is also a commitment from you to the whole church to embrace the family and mission of MDPC as you follow Jesus as a disciple. And together in partnership, we will work as a family toward the mission and vision God has given MDPC. What happens in a New Member Class? The New Member class is a series of meetings through which you will: Be introduced to the history, vision, and mission of Memorial Drive Presbyterian through brief presentations made by the Associate Pastors, Elders, and staff. Meet in small groups to get to know one another better and talk about the brief presentations. Share briefly about your faith experience by using the #LifeIsMore Story Starters resource. After attending the New Member Class, you will be invited to meet with the Session (MDPC's board of Elders) to be received as members of the church. Do I have to become a member if I attend the class? Nope. You are welcome to attend the classes to learn about MDPC, meet some people, or explore what it means to become a member. If you decide along the way that becoming a member isn't the right step for you, that's okay! We'd love to help you get connected and discover your next step of faith. Do I have to be a Christian to become a member? You are welcome to participate and belong at MDPC no matter what you believe about faith or Jesus. However, you do need to trust Jesus as your Savior and Lord (i.e. be a Christian) to become a church member. The family and mission at MDPC flows out of our love of Jesus and our desire to be a people and church that reflect His vision for the world. Because Jesus is the source of our family and mission, we believe it is necessary to be a Christian before fully embracing MDPC as a church member. If you want to learn about Jesus or would like to become a Christian, Click Here to contact Pastor Dan Aikins. He would love to talk to you about faith in Jesus. I have never been baptized. Can I still become a member? Baptism marks a person's adoption in God's global family of Christians around the world. Becoming a church member marks a person's partnership with a particular church family like MDPC. Becoming a Christian and saying Yes to Jesus always comes before becoming a church member. If you are a Christian but have not been baptized, you can be baptized as part of becoming a member. Simply let us know when you sign up for the class that you haven’t been baptized. Click Here to email Pastor Dan Aikins if you have questions about being baptized. I was baptized at a different church. Will I be baptized again at MDPC to become a member? If you were baptized with water at another Christian church through infant baptism or believer baptism, you will not be baptized again to become a member at MDPC. Our family of churches believes that once you’ve received Christian baptism, it is not necessary to be baptized again. We understand Christian baptism as any baptism by water made in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I am thinking about becoming a member. What should I do? If you’re ready, you can sign up for an upcoming New Member Class at the links on this page (above). Or you can contact Pastor Dan Aikins at daikins@mdpc.org or 713-490-9292. He will be glad to talk to you about membership at MDPC and try to answer any questions you may have. Though we appreciate it when you let us know you will attend a New Member Class, it is not altogether necessary. We also welcome a last-minute decision to show up at a class series! If the class happens to be an online class, then you’ll need to sign up or contact us for the Zoom information. If I am not ready to become a member, can I still participate in a New Member class? Of course! Being ready to join the church is not an expectation of those who attend the classes. We want participants to be free to think through membership at MDPC and what is involved with that commitment. Each class series regularly includes people who are still exploring their faith, or for other reasons are not yet prepared to join the church. We encourage people to continue to worship with us and take part in all our ministries. Should you, sometime in the future, decide to join MDPC, we will gladly welcome you into membership. CONNECT WITH US Connect with Us! Personal Details Complete Form As*: Contact First Name*: Last Name*: Email Address*: Mobile Phone*: How can we connect? I have a question about starting a relationship with Jesus I'd like prayer I want to connect with a pastor I'd like to learn more about MDPC's Children's Ministry I'd like to learn more about MDPC's Youth Ministry I'd like to learn about Bible studies and small groups I'd like to explore joining MDPC as a Covenant Partner (church member) Something else Question or Comment: Did You Worship with Us Today? Yes No Would you like to be added to our email list to receive weekly updates? Yes No Connect ©2021 Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church | Houston 11612 Memorial Dr. Houston, TX 77024 713.782.1710 webmaster@mdpc.org Our StaffMP Staff LoginFacilities CalendarOutlook Web AccessOfficer Resources Join us this Holiday Season Get into the spirit of the season with MDPC! We have something for everyone to enjoy this holiday season. View Holiday Events