Introduction:
Baptism marks entry into the one Church of Jesus Christ of which the Methodist Church is part. Baptism is a public sign of commitment to Jesus as Lord and Saviour and to His people, the Church.

Christian Baptism is administered with water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Baptism shows:

• The love of God for all people, displayed supremely in the self-giving of Jesus Christ
  
• That Christ has won for us forgiveness of sins, the filling of the Holy Spirit, and the resurrection to new life.
  
• The commitment of a person to serve Christ in the Church and the world and to grow in faith as a Christian
  
  

Our Church:
We offer the sacrament of baptism to both adults and young children, but with a different emphasis.

Young Children:
We offer infant baptism (often-called Christening) to young children who are brought by their parents in thankfulness to God and in dedication for their future. A small child is not able to make any significant response to God at this stage of his or her life. So baptism is most significantly a sign of God’s love for all, whether or not we can or do respond to that love. Parents, bringing their children for Christening, are making important commitments as to the sort of parents they want to be, and how they want their children to grow up. Parents will be required to commit themselves to “encouraging their child to become a Christian.” No parent can force their child into a faith, but all parents are making decisions of how they want their children to grow up.

All such services take place in our normal Sunday services.

Adults:
Adults are baptised on their profession of faith in Christ. This is obviously an important decision, an important statement, and should not be undertaken lightly and for mixed motives. Equally, it should not be unnecessarily put off. Baptism is a bit like a wedding service. You do not get married lightly, but equally you do not put it off forever. In addition, you do not stop growing in love after your wedding day. And so a person’s Christian faith will develop after their baptism and usually at a great speed following their commitment to Christ in baptism

Our church offers adult baptism in either the church during the service or on a separate occasion in the sea at Repulse Bay.

Enquiries:
All enquiries about baptism should be referred to the pastors.

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