Baptism Policy

At South Regina United Community (Wesley and Sunset Pastoral Charges), we love celebrating baptism!  Whether it is an adult or a child being baptized, this is about celebrating the love of God given to every single person.  This is also a celebration of Christian community that is welcoming and supportive.  In the United Church of Canada baptism is one of the sacraments, meaning that it is one of the visible signs of God’s invisible grace.  Because this is a celebration of community, Baptisms take place as a part of our public worship services.

The first step towards arranging for a baptism is to contact the church office and make an appointment for conversation with our minister.  We will meet with you in your home, or here at the church.  The main purpose of the conversation is for you to get to know each other and the community a little better and discern if baptism is the right choice for you as a family.  We look forward to hearing from you!

 

Baptism FAQ

Can baptism be a part of a private service?

Because this is an act of faith by the congregation, baptisms take place as a part of public worship.  There are some emergency situations where exceptions are sometimes made.

Can children and adults be baptized?

Yes!  With infants, the parents and congregation make commitments of faith on the child’s behalf but as an adult, you can make these promises for yourself.  When adults are baptized they are also welcomed as members of the congregation.

Do the parents need to be members of the congregation?

No, but since the congregation is offering you their commitment to your family, we do ask that you be a part of our congregation with formal membership of not.  For this reason, if you’re new to our church, we’ll ask you to come to Sunday worship a few time to see if you feel at home.  If you are from out of town and are having your baptism here, e.g. for family reasons, we’ll likely want to be in touch with your home congregation since we’ll be baptizing on their behalf.

Do I need my child baptized so they’ll be loved by God?
No! Absolutely not!  We in the United Church believe that God loves all of us without condition and without end.  Baptism is our way of celebrating what God is already doing.

Do I need to choose “godparents?”

No, if there’s someone you’d like to include with this honour, feel free but this is not needed.

Is there a cost?

No, as God’s love is freely given, so too do we celebrate God’s love without financial obligation.