Port Glasgow United Reformed Church Reg. Charity No. SC000582 WebSite Designed By Port Glasgow Web Master © 2011
THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM
Baptism is the entry into the Christian household of faith, either as the child of a Christian family, or as an adult taking this step in an act of personal commitment. Children brought up in the faith are given an opportunity to confirm that faith for themselves when they are older. Baptism is an entry into the Christian life rather than a denominational affair, so it is inappropriate to be "re-baptised" when changing membership from one church to another, though times of recommitment are always appropriate.
If you would like to enquire about becoming a Christian or about having your child baptised, please make an appointment with the minister. Baptisms in the Reformed tradition are acts of the whole church (the congregation takes vows alongside the one being baptised or the parents of the baptised), and is therefore celebrated during the Sunday morning worship, as an act of commitment.
Here are the promises you will be asked to make if you bring your child to be baptised:
To parents:
Do you desire to have your child baptised into the faith and family of
Jesus Christ? We do.
To parents and God Parents:
Will you encourage [Name] to renounce the powers of evil
and to receive the freedom of new life in Christ? We will, with the help of God.
Will you teach [Name] that (s)he may be led to profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour? We will, with the help of God.
Do you promise, by the grace of God, to be Christ’s disciples, to follow in the way of our Saviour, to resist oppression and evil, to show love and justice, and to witness to the work and word of Jesus Christ as best you are able? We will, with the help of God.
Do you promise, according to the grace given you, to grow with this child in the Christian faith, to help [Name] to be a faithful member of the church of Jesus Christ, by celebrating Christ’s presence, by furthering Christ’s mission in all the world, and by offering the nurture of the Christian church so that (s)he may affirm his baptism? We will, with the help of God.
THANKSGIVING FOR THE BIRTH OF A CHILD
Families, both within the church and without sometimes find they prefer the service for thanksgiving for the birth of a child, an act which looks forward to baptism sometime in the future. As with baptism, the thanksgiving is celebrated within Sunday morning worship as an act of commitment. Here are the vows the parents will say:
Do you thank God for the gift of ______? We do
Do you, as parents, dedicate yourself to God? We do.
Do you promise so to order your lives that _______ will be surrounded by love and goodness? We do.
Do you promise, by God's help, to provide a Christian home for _______ and to bring him/her up in the faith of the Gospel and the fellowship of the Church? We do.
To Make An Arrangement For A Baptism Please Contact The Minister