Fred, there should be no problem for a socialist to participate in any church activity. The core values of socialism and the church are quite similar, though they've diverged in implementation (primarily in that the church tends to seek voluntary conformance with those ideals, while political socialists often try to force people to behave decently).

The first Christians lived as a commune, sharing their collective possessions and income. The most devout Christians -- monks -- continued that practice, and still do so today.

In the nineteenth century, socialists were active in mainstream churches. Charles Kingsley, poet, novelist, historian, Cambridge professor, and lifelong vicar of Eversley, Hampshire, was a frequent contributor to Christian Socialist magazine, and he served a term as chaplain to Queen Victoria and as tutor to the Prince of Wales.