For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ - Galatians 3:27
If you or someone you know is ready for baptism, please let us know! We’ll be doing baptisms on Sunday, October 20th at Grace during our celebration Sunday. You can also opt for a more private baptism if you’d prefer a baptism just including your close friends and families.
When you sign up, we’ll be sure to contact you for your preference!
What is Baptism?
Baptism is a public profession of your faith in Jesus Christ. It is about “going public” with your faith, and it’s the next step after your salvation.
For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. —Romans 6:4 (NLT)
When Jesus died on the cross, His blood was shed for mankind. His blood cleansed sin’s curse. When we’re immersed in the water of baptism, we’re demonstrating that we have been buried in Christ, raised to a new life in Him, and desire to grow to become more like Him.
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! —2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)
Baptism does not make you a believer; it demonstrates that you already believe. It is important to understand that baptism does not “save” you. You are “saved” only by your faith in Jesus.
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. —Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT)
What is a Baby Dedication?
Dedicating a child acknowledges God’s sovereignty, not only over the child, but also Mom and Dad. Parents present their child before God and his people, asking for grace and wisdom to carry out their responsibilities. Parents also come to this moment praying that their child might one day personally trust Jesus Christ as Savior. Because dedicating a child is committing them to the Lord and the care of the church, parents need to have made a commitment to Christ before dedicating their child.
We believe it is God’s desire that believing parents create homes where God is honored and glorified and where they model love and faith in Jesus Christ. The family is the key place where a child develops their understanding of God and his love. They learn this through the modeling and teaching of their parents and other influential family members.
We want the church to be a second family to help develop your children's faith. It is the church’s responsibility to come alongside the parents and support them in the spiritual nurture of their children.
Dedicating your child to God is a public sign that you are seeking to bring your children up in the ways of Christ, and as a community we stand with you in that passion.
What to expect
On the Sunday of your child’s dedication, bring your child into the service with you rather than taking them to children’s ministry.
As a part of the worship service, the pastor will invite all of the participating family members to come to the front of the sanctuary. The pastor will introduce the dedication time and share with the parents, family members, and congregation a word about the commitment involved.
The father or mother will have a brief opportunity to share what Grace Community Church and this opportunity means to them personally, before the pastor prays a blessing over the child.
Each child will receive a Certificate of Dedication as a reminder of this special day.
If you wish to have a family member photograph or video record the dedication, you are free to do so as long as it is not disruptive.
What dedication is not
Baby dedication is not baptism. It is not a sacrament. It does not impart salvation to the child.
The baby dedication service is a confirmation between the parents and the church to raise the child in a godly way so that when the child is old enough, he or she will be prepared to make their own decision about placing their faith in Jesus Christ.
What about infant baptism?
One distinctive mark of the Evangelical Covenant Church is that it has refused to be divided over differences in baptismal theology. It honors and serves both those with a theological preference for infant baptism and those with a theological preference for “believer” baptism.
Although Grace favors infant dedication and reserves baptism for when the child professes his/her own faith in Jesus, we do not restrict either practice. Rather our calling is to encourage you to earnestly search the Scriptures for guidance and to seek the Spirit for direction on how to personally believe and act.