Baptism

Baptism is the beginning of our faith and our gateway into the Church.

It is the first of three Sacraments of Initiation. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: “Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word”.

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floating woman on body of water

How it works

How do I have my child baptized?

“But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?”

Baptism Process

Find some water

A person may be baptized anywhere – a river, pool, bathtub, hot tub, lake or the ocean. The Bible does not limit where someone must be baptized because the power of God’s forgiveness is in Jesus and not the water.

Go into the water

If the water source is large enough (like a pool, river, or baptistry), then you may go into the water with the one being baptized. If it is too small (like a bathtub), then just kneel next to the person as he/she sits down into the water.

Take their confession of faith

Ask, “Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God? And do you trust Jesus as your Savior and commit to obey Jesus as your Lord?”

What to say

Say, “I now baptize you in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” (This is what Jesus taught us to say in Matthew 28:19)

Lay the person down into the water and back up

Full immersion best represents dying to our old selves and being reborn in Jesus, but don’t be alarmed if someone’s elbow or toe pops up during the baptism. Jesus does the saving – not the water. Bonus point: Have the person hold his/her nose.