Baptism at Robertson-Wesley

Baptism is many things: a celebration of the gift of life in a new-born child, the welcoming of a new member into the Universal Church of Jesus Christ, an individual’s public declaration of a choice to live in Christ, transformation to a new life of hope and peace.

Infants and Children

We celebrate with you the addition to your family of its newest member. Every child is a wonderful gift and we share in your excitement and hope. The birth of a child is a moment when you think not only about your child’s relationship with you as a family, but also your child’s connection to the larger community. Whether you’re expecting, your baby was born recently or your child is older, we celebrate with you the opportunity to welcome your child into the church by baptism. Parents (or other caregivers) bring their child for baptism as a way of dedicating the child to God and entrusting them into God’s loving care.

Youth and Adults

Perhaps you are contemplating being baptized yourself. Baptism is not only for infants and children. Baptism is a celebration of life and a person’s wish to follow the way of Jesus in the support of a faith community. We celebrate with you this moment of discernment and prayer as you ponder making this step in your own spiritual journey. As together we contemplate the meaning of baptism we recall that we are acting on God’s behalf: it is God who welcomes each person into the Whole Family of God, calling each person beloved, just as Jesus was proclaimed so upon his own baptism. To request baptism for yourself, please contact the church office or speak directly to one of the ministers. Baptism for youth or adults is offered in conjunction with confirmation, which is the action by which one becomes a full member of the church. For more information please see Membership.

Confirmation

Since the choice to belong to the church— to live in Christ—is a choice which should be made freely by a person for themselves, those baptized as infants or children are encouraged to affirm their faith for themselves by being confirmed as a youth or an adult. In confirmation, each person makes their own public profession of faith and becomes a full (voting) member of the local congregation.

Profession of Faith

Infants and children are baptized on the basis of the faith of their parents (or other care-givers). Therefore the baptism service includes profession of faith questions for the parents, similar to those they would answer for their confirmation. If parents have not been confirmed at the time of their children’s baptism, we encourage them to consider taking this step for themselves in the future.

Sponsors

If the parents (or other care-givers) are not members of Robertson-Wesley, we usually appoint someone who is a member to be a ‘sponsor.’ The role of the sponsor is a short-term role, to support the family to find their place in the life of the congregation. If the family is acquainted with some people in the congregation, they are welcome to select their own sponsor.

Godparents

Naming Godparents for children is optional in the United Church. There are no restrictions as to who can be named as a godparent. If godparents are in attendance at the baptism, we invite them to stand at the font with the parents for the baptism.

Universal Church

We also think of baptism as a rite of belonging whereby your child is welcomed into the fellowship of the Christian Church. We are not just baptizing them into the United Church, but into the Universal Church of Jesus Christ. This is not an actual organization, but rather refers to the spiritual idea of the whole church throughout the world and throughout history. In this respect, many church denominations recognize each other’s baptism, and we consider it a once-in-a-lifetime event. So, for example, one who was baptized in another denomination can become a full member of the United Church without being re-baptized.