Baptism

We at Wesley United Church offer baptism to all ages. We believe that the gift of God’s love doesn’t depend on our ability to understand it. Anyone who has seen grace on the face of a child knows that they understand this gift. Baptism is not a requirement for God’s love. We believe that people who die without baptism are in no way condemned, lost or damned.

So what is baptism? Baptism is not christening. Years ago, when the church was more closely connected to the ‘state’, a child would be brought to the church to be christened, to be given their ‘Christian’ name. When the child was christened, their papers served as a birth certificate. But times have changed. The ‘state’ funded hospitals now issue the birth certificates. At Wesley we believe that baptism is a three way covenant made between ourselves and God, between God and the congregation, and between the congregation and those being baptised. It is a symbolic act that signifies the new life God gives us as we join the church community. Parents often bring their infants to be baptised. In such cases, the parents will make promises on behalf of their child to lead them in the ways of God. Assurances will be shared with the parents through God’s word that God will always be there to guide their paths. As a congregation we stand and promise to support the parents in raising their children by providing a loving community in which to grow and by supporting the work of our church school. When this child reaches an age of accountability they will then have the opportunity to confirm for themselves these promises through the act of confirmation.

Although on the rare occasions we may do private baptisms, we prefer to perform this sacrament of church during one of our regular church services. Baptism is the single rite of initiation into the Christian community, the church. When a child is baptised they become a full member of the United Church of Canada with particular reference to Wesley United Church. Because of the sheer numbers requesting baptism we have had to limit the number of Sundays we perform this sacrament to three a year; usually Thanksgiving Sunday, the beginning of January when we celebrate The Baptism of our Lord Sunday, and again in May- on Mother’s Day.

“What about godparents?” Godparents in the United Church are those who stand up with the parents during the baptism to witness the promises made and then continue through the nurturing years of this child’s life to help the parents kept their promises. Godparents are not legal guardians! They can be, if the parents so chose, but this has to be communicated through a legal will. Some people choose to have Godparents, others do not. The choice is yours.

Baptism in the United Church of Canada is recognized by all denominations of the Christian church that practice infant baptism. Similarly, if people have already been baptized in another church, the United Church recognizes their baptism and welcomes them. Which leads us to the last question usually asked by couples, “Do we have to be members of your church to have our child baptised?” The short answer is no. The long answer is that if you desire your child to become a member of this church and you have promised to teach them the truths and duties of our Christian faith, and the congregation has promised to support you in this endeavour, would it not make sense to become members of this family yourselves? Instruction is offered to parents or sponsors to help equip them for their child’s Christian nurture.

If you have any further question to ask around the sacrament of baptism please contact Rev. Kim in the ways available to you through this site.