The Sacrament of Baptism
Baptism is Miracle; it is Beginning; it is Grace. It is far more than a naming ceremony or a cute little rite. Baptism is God's work, but we are lucky enough to get to play a part, and St. John's is delighted each time we are able to print a special Baptism Bulletin.
Baptism is a time when God makes awesome promises and does awesome things to the one Baptized - infant or adult. It is also a time when the people who are St. John's make promises to walk with the Baptized in the faith. If the Baptized is a child, the congregation also makes strong promises to partner with the parents in helping them raise the child in faith. The congregation gives gifts - a Baptism Candle to celebrate this event yearly, a Faith Chest that is lovingly hand-crafted to serve as the suitcase for the Baptized's Journey of Faith.
St. John's will also eventually give at least three Bibles at various stages as a child grows in faith in our midst.
Because we take Baptism seriously and respect what God is doing in the Sacrament, St. John's requires parental participation in one Baptism Orientation Session prior to a child's Baptism. These are scheduled monthly, and parents may attend several months before the birth of their child or between the birth and their scheduled Baptism date. At this session one of the pastors will lead a brief Bible study over some of what Jesus, Peter, and Paul say about Baptism as well as describe and read through the actual Baptism service. Dates of the next Baptism Orientation Sessions are always printed in the Newsletter. You may also receive them by phoning the church office at 634-7110.
Older children or adults who seek Baptism usually meet several times with a pastor to learn individually about Baptism as well as discuss this point in their journey of faith.
Finally, Baptism is a community event. It is a Sacrament of Jesus' Church and not simply a private inoculation. The Family of God is involved and has promises to make. For this reason all Baptisms are celebrated within a worship service of the St. John's congregation. This can be on Sundays, Wednesdays, or whenever the St. John's congregation gathers to worship. Because of time constraints, however, we are not able to schedule Baptisms on weeks when we also celebrate Holy Communion during worship. Therefore, Baptisms are not normally scheduled on the 1st and 3rd Sundays or Wednesdays of each month.
Baptism is a time when God makes awesome promises and does awesome things to the one Baptized - infant or adult. It is also a time when the people who are St. John's make promises to walk with the Baptized in the faith. If the Baptized is a child, the congregation also makes strong promises to partner with the parents in helping them raise the child in faith. The congregation gives gifts - a Baptism Candle to celebrate this event yearly, a Faith Chest that is lovingly hand-crafted to serve as the suitcase for the Baptized's Journey of Faith.
St. John's will also eventually give at least three Bibles at various stages as a child grows in faith in our midst.
Because we take Baptism seriously and respect what God is doing in the Sacrament, St. John's requires parental participation in one Baptism Orientation Session prior to a child's Baptism. These are scheduled monthly, and parents may attend several months before the birth of their child or between the birth and their scheduled Baptism date. At this session one of the pastors will lead a brief Bible study over some of what Jesus, Peter, and Paul say about Baptism as well as describe and read through the actual Baptism service. Dates of the next Baptism Orientation Sessions are always printed in the Newsletter. You may also receive them by phoning the church office at 634-7110.
Older children or adults who seek Baptism usually meet several times with a pastor to learn individually about Baptism as well as discuss this point in their journey of faith.
Finally, Baptism is a community event. It is a Sacrament of Jesus' Church and not simply a private inoculation. The Family of God is involved and has promises to make. For this reason all Baptisms are celebrated within a worship service of the St. John's congregation. This can be on Sundays, Wednesdays, or whenever the St. John's congregation gathers to worship. Because of time constraints, however, we are not able to schedule Baptisms on weeks when we also celebrate Holy Communion during worship. Therefore, Baptisms are not normally scheduled on the 1st and 3rd Sundays or Wednesdays of each month.