diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr-verification.yml b/.github/workflows/pr-verification.yml
index 27ef13276f..9a9adfbe7b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr-verification.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr-verification.yml
@@ -16,26 +16,25 @@ jobs:
             const prAuthor = context.payload.sender.login;
             const prNumber = context.payload.number;
             try {
-              const getMembershipStatus = await github.rest.teams.getMembershipForUserInOrg({
-              org: 'hackforla',
-              team_slug: 'website-write',
-              username: prAuthor
+              await github.rest.teams.getMembershipForUserInOrg({
+                org: 'hackforla',
+                team_slug: 'website-write',
+                username: prAuthor
               });
               console.log('Successfully verified!')
             } catch (verificationError) {
               if (verificationError.status==404) {
-                await github.request('PATCH /repos/{owner}/{repo}/pulls/{pull_number}', {
+                await github.rest.issues.update({
                   owner : 'hackforla',
                   repo : 'website',
-                  pull_number : prNumber,
+                  issue_number : prNumber,
                   state : 'closed'
                 });
-                await github.request('POST /repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues/{issue_number}/comments', {
+                await github.rest.issues.createComment({
                   owner : 'hackforla',
                   repo : 'website',
                   issue_number : prNumber,
                   body : 'You must be a member of the HFLA website team in order to create pull requests. Please see our page on how to join us as a member at HFLA: https://www.hackforla.org/getting-started.  If you have been though onboarding, and feel this message in error, please message us in the #hfla-site team slack channel with the link to this PR.'
                 });
               }
-              }
-  
+              }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/github-actions/utils/check-team-membership.js b/github-actions/utils/check-team-membership.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b34c7f14dd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/github-actions/utils/check-team-membership.js
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+/** 
+* @param {octokit} github - Octokit object used to access GitHub API 
+* @param {String} githubUsername - The github username of the user whose membership is to be checked.
+* @param {String} team - The HFLA team the username's membership is checked against. Example: 'website-write'
+
+- Returns true or false depending on whether the username is found on the passed team, 404 means the user passed wasn't 
+found on the team passed. Any other type of error will be thrown.
+- Need read:org permission to use this function, the least permissive token which contains this is the secrets.TEAMS token.
+Lack of permission will result in a 403 error.
+- The method of obtaining the github username will vary depending on the contents of the context object. See github action 
+docs on printing context information into the log.
+*/
+
+async function isMemberOfTeam(github, githubUsername, team)
+{
+    try {
+        const result = await github.rest.teams.getMembershipForUserInOrg({
+            org : 'hackforla',
+            team_slug : team,
+            username : githubUsername
+        });
+        return true;
+    } catch (verificationError) {
+        if (verificationError.status == 404) {
+            return false;
+        }
+        else {
+            throw verificationError;
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+module.exports = isMemberOfTeam;
\ No newline at end of file