Liturgy & Worship

The Book of Common Prayer tells us that Holy Baptism is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into God’s Family. In Baptism, we become members of the Body of Christ and sharers in the mission of the Church. In the Episcopal tradition, a person may be baptized at any age. Parents who bring their children to be baptized always make the commitment to raise their child in the Christian faith by being connected to parish life here at St. Peter’s.

Not initially. However, we hope that you will choose St. Peter’s Episcopal Church to be your spiritual home as part of your faith journey. We invite you to be part of our mission as you raise your children in the faith.

Parents must participate in our Baptism Preparation program, even if you previously had another child baptized in our parish.

The first step for the parents is to set up an initial meeting with the parish priest and two members of the Baptism Preparation Team so that we can get to know one another. Building relationships is important for us at St. Peter’s and we want to get to know people who want to be part of our faith community.

After the initial meeting, if you, as parents, are ready to make the commitment to be active participants in the life of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church by being regular and faithful participants in the life of our parish, especially by at our Sunday Celebration of Holy Eucharist, we will then invite you to take the next step and to join us for the next scheduled Baptism Preparation Session. This gathering will consist of parents and sponsors, members our parish Baptism Preparation Team, our parish Director of Youth & Family Ministry and our parish priest. This will be a time for everyone to get to know each other, to build relationships and to have conversations about our Christian faith, discipleship and life as a parent.

If parents are new to St. Peter’s Episcopal Church (or have not been regularly engaged in the life of our parish) we will then invite you to regularly attend our Service of Holy Eucharist on Sunday mornings and to get involved in the life of our parish for a few months before a baptism date is scheduled. We want to help you to feel connected and to support you in your faith journey. We want parents to experience the life of our parish and to see if our St. Peter’s Episcopal Church is a good fit for them before they make a commitment to become part of our mission. We also want parents to be immersed in the parish where they will raise their children. This will also provide you with the opportunity to meet other people in our parish family.

There are six (6) Sundays scheduled on the parish calendar at different times throughout the year when the Sacrament of Baptism will be celebrated during our 10:00A Service of Holy Eucharist. When scheduling a baptism, parents will then be able to choose from one of those scheduled dates. There will most likely be other children getting baptized on any of those Sundays. Most parishes in our area have a similar fixed schedule for Baptisms and families easily work around those dates. In the past, families could choose whatever date they wanted. However, this is no longer possible with the way the new program is structured with the Baptism Preparation sessions. We encourage you to invite as many family members and friends as you would like to join us for the baptism.

There is no “magical” age to celebrate baptism. Some people believe that a child needs to be baptized immediately in the first few months of life. This is simply not true. (If Jesus didn’t say it, don’t believe it.)

No. There is no such thing as a “private baptism” in the Episcopal Church. Baptisms are celebrated during our Sunday Celebration of Holy Eucharist (Mass) in the midst of the whole Christian community. Baptism can only happen within the gathered faith community. During the baptism ceremony we, the assembled community, pledge to do all in our power to help these young families in this journey. The community plays an important role during the celebration of baptism.

There is no fee charged for the sacraments of the church. A gift to the church from the family is always appropriate and gratefully received to help support our ministry to God’s people here at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. If you can make such a gift, please put it in a separate envelope clearly marked “Baptism Gift” with your child’s name.

Sponsors are persons who commit themselves to a long-term relationship with your child. It is our hope that they will maintain a continuous relationship with your child and to be a Christian example. Being a sponsor serves as a reminder of one’s own relationship with God and the Church through baptism. Sponsors and godparents should be chosen by the parents. We trust that parents are the best judges of who will be the best mentor for their child. Sponsors must be baptized Christians.

If the parents live elsewhere, it is preferable for their child to be baptized where they live and in the Christian community where they are members. If, however, the parents have yet to establish a relationship with a church or if there are family considerations and a strong pastoral reason to have the baptism at St. Peter’s, it may be appropriate for the child to be baptized here. We will explore these conversations on an individual basis. The parents must be willing, however, to participate in our Baptism Preparation program (even if it involves travel) and to accommodate the parish schedule. They must also promise to raise their child in Christian community of faith.

Any baptized member of the church, regardless of age, may receive Holy Communion. Since baptism is the primary entrance rite of the church, we consider any baptized person a full member of the church.

The mission of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church is to LOVE GOD. LOVE OTHERS & MAKE NEW DISCIPLES. We hope this process will help you and your family go deeper into being a disciple of Christ. We are here to help support you in the faith journey of your child and of your family as disciples of Christ!