Baptisms

Baptism originally was the Jewish "Miqvah" bath that shows up all over the Old Testament Book of Leviticus, commanded whenever a person soiled themselves with something ritually unclean. In later Judaism, as non-Jews got interested in joining the community it was necessary to be "miqvah" bathed even before circumcision.

In the New Testament, John the Baptizer offered a fresh "miqvah" in the Jordan River to everyone in the country, suggesting that even "good" Israelis were not yet sufficiently pure before God to be able to greet God with any confidence. Jesus agreed, and recommended the custom for his own followers. Later Christian writers (like Paul) connected it with our participation in Jesus' own death and resurrection -- something that a river baptism visually suggests.

Baptism does not make you a "child of God" -- you were born a child of God. Baptism makes you a member of the Church, the community of faith that treasures God's self-introduction in Jesus Christ. Consequently, baptism doesn't "save" you; rather it introduces you into a community in which you're likely to have the sort of encounter with God in Christ that awakens you to your salvation.

We baptize the infants and small children of Christian families as an act of obedience at the beginning of a child's life, marking him/her as a member of the community of faith within which we hope s/he'll meet God.

If you are interested in Baptism, please contact our office for more information. (330) 928-2139

The outward and visible sign in Baptism is water, in which you are baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

The inward and spiritual grace in Baptism is union with Christ in his death and resurrection, birth into God's family the Church, forgiveness of sins, and new life in the Holy Spirit.