Baptism

Church members are welcome to present their young children for baptism as a sign of God's love for them, even before the children realize it. Older children and adults who have not yet been baptized receive this sacrament when they go through confirmation and/or join the church.

At any age! God loved and claimed your baby before birth so we can celebrate that at any time. As children approach the age of 13, they are usually baptized as part of the confirmation process during their 8th grade year. Older children who did not go through confirmation will be baptized as part of an Inquirers' (New Members) Class.

In order for baptism to have integrity, only parents committed to nurturing their children within a church family should have their children baptized. For that reason, one or both parents will ordinarily be active members of First Presbyterian Church’s worshipping community. If you are considering having your child(ren) baptized here, we encourage you to

• worship with us on Sundays;
• visit the nursery with your child;
• have a cup of coffee in Fellowship Hall afterward;
• stop and chat with a pastor; and/or
• join a Bible study group.

Get to know the church family and let us know you, so that we can better support you as you consider baptism for your child(ren).

We will gladly consider requests from parent(s) who are active member(s) of another Christian congregation but who have a particular connection to First Pres (e.g. they grew up or were married here, etc.).

In baptism, the congregation of First Presbyterian Church vows: “We promise to guide and nurture these children by word and deed, with love and prayer, encouraging them to know and follow Jesus, and to be a faithful member of this church.”

We take this promise to heart! We share God’s love every week in various Faith Formation activities. For children, these activities include the nursery, Sunday School, worship, and Preschool. We encourage children to lead us by singing in worship, we enthusiastically plan and staff an exciting week of Vacation Bible School so that they might experience God, and we welcome them to the Communion table where they are nourished by Christ. We want to get to know your children, and to fulfill our promises to them and to you. Newly baptized adults are encouraged to take part in worship, small groups, Bible studies, and other Faith Formation activities.

We would love to counsel you through your family’s options. If you wish to raise your child in the Christian church, and one parent is able to make the baptismal commitments, then we are privileged to conduct a baptism here. If you would like to raise your children with a commitment to both faith traditions, we will gladly welcome them with a blessing or presentation in worship.

In the Presbyterian church, the entire congregation takes the role of godparents, promising to support the parents in providing a Christian upbringing for the child(ren). Some parents invite family and/or friends to participate in the service as the sponsors.

Baptisms occur only within a worship service of the congregation on a mutually agreed upon Sunday, other than Communion Sundays.