Dedication/Baptism
Our ceremony to welcome children into the world is a celebration of the child. It is done almost always within the context of Sunday morning worship. However, membership in the church is not required.
Some parents call the celebration a dedication; and it truly is in the sense that parents, family, friends, and this congregation commit themselves to doing what they can to nurture the child toward a safe and full life, toward love and respect for themselves, toward love and respect for others and all life, and toward faith that is free of fear and freely chosen.
Other parents call the ceremony a baptism. This term sometimes gives comfort and assurance to grandparents and other relatives who are in different religions. Though exceptions can be made for parents who want a distinctly Christian baptism for their child, our baptism is not usually administered or interpreted as an exclusively Christian baptism. More specifically, our sprinkling of water has nothing to do with the washing away of sins, and it is in no way understood as a requirement for salvation.
Rather our use of water is symbolic of our deep connectedness with life. Life comes from water and is sustained by water. The sprinkling of water is intended to remind us of our indivisible union with nature, with one another, and with Ultimate Reality – however one understands that. In our tradition, baptism calls us to become like water: gentle and strong, yielding and constant, nurturing all that is around us by our essence.
New Member Recognition
Persons who become members of the church are invited to participate in a welcoming ceremony. Each new member is invited to sign the Membership Book, briefly introduce themselves, receive a gift, participate in a congregational reading, and be formally welcomed by the parish minister.
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