Join us Sunday at 10 am 381 Country Way, Scituate, MA
What Baptism Signifies
In the United Church of Christ, baptism is a sacrament, considered to be an outward and visible sign of the grace of God. Through baptism a person is joined with the universal church, the body of Christ. We baptize people to recognize they are already God’s children.
When you present your child for baptism you are acknowledging that your child is a gift from God you commit to raise the child in a nurturing Christian community in anticipation of the day when s/he will profess her/his own faith in Christ, usually as a teenager through Confirmation. It is expected that the parents of the child will have been baptized or are willing to be baptized in the same ceremony.
How Baptism Takes Place
Baptism usually takes place in church during a worship service with a gathered congregation. As part of the service, you will be asked the questions about instructing your child in the Christian faith. At the same time the church also makes a commitment to you. After you have made your vows, the members of the congregation are asked to pledge their “love, support, and care” for the one to be baptized.
We call upon the Holy Spirit to bless the water (a prominent symbol of cleansing and life in the Bible). the Pastor makes the sign of the cross in water upon the forehead of person being baptized. Trinitarian language is used: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
After the Pastor baptizes the child; the pastor, deacon, parent, Godparent, or sponsor may then walk an infant up and down the aisle, symbolic of the infant’s new place in the church. Older children and adults may walk down the aisle with the pastor. After presentation of the Certificate of Baptism, the family returns to sit in the pew.
Godparents
Parents, in consultation with the pastor, may choose Godparents or sponsors for infants and young children who are to be baptized. Adults may have sponsors who accompany the candidates and may make promises similar to the promises of the parents concerning their role. It is expected that Godparents will have been baptized. Historically, the role of the Godparent was to raise the child in the Christian faith if anything happened to the parents. Today, the role of the Godparent is to lend a lifetime of spiritual support to the person being baptized.
Logistics
You should plan to arrive by 9:30 for the 10:00 service on the morning of the baptism. Baptisms are usually conducted early in the worship service. A few helpful items:
- Nursery care is available for infants/toddlers.
- Children are always welcome to join our faith formation classes.
- Photographs and videos may be taken–with discretion—so as not to disturb the ritual or congregation.
- Parents may contact the office to arrange altar flowers or to bring a cake or other refreshments for our post-worship coffee hour.