Welcome. We are glad that you want to have your child baptized in the church.

Baptism is a sign that your child is loved by God. All children are loved by God, but baptism is a visible sign for all to see. It is like a husband giving his wife a rose as a sign of his love. Baptism is a sign of God’s love for the child.

Baptism is also a sign of the grace of God to us. God takes the initiative. God declares love for us before we are capable to say we love God. This understanding of the grace of God is why we feel that it is perfectly acceptable to baptize babies. In fact, babies are the perfect example, for in baptism God declares love for them, even before they can declare their love for God.

Baptism is also a sign of welcoming. Through the sacrament of Baptism, your child becomes a member of the Christian church in the world or as we often say, the Body of Christ in the world. Our hope and prayer is that when your child is old enough to understand, she or he will choose to commit to living out what it means to be a member of the Body of Christ in the world. We call this process of commitment, confirmation, (the confirming of the promises made at the time of Baptism.)

Baptism is also a sign of a fresh start for a child to grow in the knowledge of God, as we know God in Jesus Christ. They will grow in this knowledge under the guidance of their parents and the church. Parents promise to bring the child up in a Christian home, and this is why they are asked to profess their faith. Thus it is desirable that parents be confirmed members of the church. The church promises to help in the Christian training of all children under their care.

Since the church community makes a promise as well, baptisms are held within the worship time of the church community. Worship is a time when the community gathers to give praise and thanksgiving to God. The word “worship” literally means, “to give worth to”. The community comes together to give worth to God, to show that God is of great importance in our lives.

With that background to baptism we would ask that those coming to the service be respectful of the purpose for the service and of those attending the service. To enter into the experience of worship it is helpful if you focus on the worship leaders: the minister, the lay readers, the choir or others. Pictures can be taken, but we would ask that this be done as discreetly as possible. Videotaping is also permissible - again as discreetly as possible. We hope that this information will help make the worship service be a meaningful experience for all and may God bless you in the service.

The Session of Lennoxville United Church