Dear Baptismal Candidate,
We are so delighted about your profession of faith in Christ, and the upcoming baptism that is evidence of that faith!
We wanted to share the baptism details with you.
Please arrive around 9:45am and meet near the platform in the cafetorium. A pastor will meet with you to explain the process.
We plan to give you a Grace Church t-shirt for the baptism, however, you should wear a dark t-shirt just in case. We also recommend swim shorts for the actual baptism. You will want to bring a change of clothes following the baptism, which will happen at the beginning of the service, following the reading of Scripture.
We will have towels and a bathrobe available once you exit the baptismal waters. We recommend a close family member or friend be with you to receive you out of the waters with the robe and towel.
Any family or friends who have invested in you spiritually are welcome to stand at the front during your baptism. Remind family and friends the baptism will happen at the beginning of the service (shortly after 10:00am).
A pastor will share instructions for the actual baptism when you get there on Sunday.
Our baptistry is portable, so you will have to climb into the baptistry using a set of stairs. The immersion into the water will be simple, and a pastor will share those details with you in the pre-service meeting..
After you have entered the water, the pastor will speak about baptism to the congregation and then ask you the following questions (including your responses):
PASTOR: “Do you {YOUR NAME}, believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit?”
YOU: “I Do!”
PASTOR: “Are you, {YOUR NAME} trusting in the death, burial, & resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins & the fulfillment of all of God's Christ's promises for you including eternal life?”
YOU: “Yes, I am trusting in Christ alone!”
PASTOR: “Will you publicly affirm this by saying ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’”
YOU: “Jesus Christ is LORD!”
PASTOR: “Based on your profession of faith in Christ, it gives me great joy to baptize you as my (brother or sister) in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ‘(Just as) we have been buried with Him through baptism into His death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father so we too might walk in newness of life.’”
If you have any further questions, please just reach out.
—
Emily Bailey and the Pastors of Grace Church