Baptism
Baptism is a public act by which the church proclaims God’s grace, as revealed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, through the use of a visible sign of God’s gracious initiative and the human individual’s response in faith.
With other Christians we affirm that baptism is at once a divine gift and a human response. The meaning of baptism is grounded in God’s redemptive action in Christ, it incorporates the believer in the community in the body of Christ, and it anticipates life in the coming age when the powers of the old world will be overcome, and the purposes of God will triumph.
We believe it is important for an individual to make his or her own decision to confess their faith in Jesus and be baptized. We call this “Believer’s Baptism.” We do not have a certain age requirement
The baptism typically takes place during a Sunday morning worship service in our baptistry but we have also done occasional baptisms in the New River. The person being baptized will be paired with a church member who serves as a mentor as the person begins the journey of faith.
Baby Dedication
The Child Dedication Service is an act of Christian Worship and a very meaningful expression of faith and love on the part of parents of infants and small children.
The church invites parents to bring their child(ren) to the worship service for dedication, at which time the parents dedicate their child(ren) to God and themselves to the rearing of the child(ren) in a Christian home atmosphere.
The congregation also honors their commitment to help support the parents in raising their child in a Christian home atmosphere and to do all they can to welcome and teach the child(ren) as a faith community.
It is the hope and prayer of the parents and the Church that Christian nurture in the home and Church will encourage the child(ren) to accept Christ and become a follower of Jesus at the proper age.
The dedication typically takes place at the beginning of a worship service.