Please read these conditions carefully before you complete the application form and consult us if you have any questions.
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Before reading more about baptism, we want to draw your attention to our expectations if you want to be baptised at St George’s: 1. It is important to be an attending member of a church. It need not necessarily be an Anglican church, but you need to provide evidence of such membership and the contact details of the priest/minister of your church for our verification. If you are not currently a member of a church, you must join St George’s as a member and worship regularly with us for a period of at least six months before you apply for Baptism. 2. We usually baptise four or five times a year on designated dates at the 09h00 Sunday service. These dates are pre-set at the beginning of the year to follow the Baptismal Preparation Programmes. We do not, as a general rule, baptise on random dates at the convenience of an applicant. 3. You must agree to attend all sessions of the Baptismal Preparation Programme. 4. You must have an interview with one of the clergy of the Parish. |
INTRODUCTION
Few events in life have quite the same meaning as new birth in Christ. Baptism is the sacramental initiation of this birth into the family of Christ – the Church. Not surprisingly, for us as Christians, physical and spiritual birth illustrates the love of God in a uniquely graphic way. The Christian faith teaches that you are loved. We follow the Scriptures in taking your Baptism seriously. Our policy, outlined below, is designed to help you understand what your Baptism is all about, and to help us deal with this important event in a way which respects you, and takes its Christian meaning seriously.
WHAT BAPTISM IS NOT
These days, before saying what baptism is, it is necessary to say what it is not, because there appears to be no other area of Christian life so imbued with superstition. Baptism is not a ‘magic charm’ or ‘talisman’ that protects you from harm. Today, while it remains orthodox Christian teaching that all human beings are sinners, we believe that every person is primarily an illustration of the love of God.
WHAT BAPTISM IS
Baptism is an act of God expressed through Christ’s church. Within this life God has given you the privilege and the task of living the Christ-like life he intends for you. Thus, the baptismal service asks you to make promises that you are ready and willing to undertake this responsibility. The Anglican Prayer Book (1989) says that; ‘The two main sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion, together with Confirmation, all relate to identification with Jesus Christ in his Paschal Mystery: that is, his birth, death, resurrection and ascension, and the giving of the Holy Spirit, all understood in the light of the Passover.’ Your Baptism therefore expresses your faith that the purpose of life is that we should know and live in God’s love for us, expressed in many ways, but most centrally for Christians in the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The Anglican Prayer Book (1989) thus explains that; ‘Whilst the response of faith has to be made by each individual, human life is always lived in community. Whilst we are born into a human family, those who are Baptised are also brought into the family of God, the Church. St Paul says, ‘By one Spirit we were all Baptised into one body’ (1 Corinthians 12:13). Those who are baptized into the Body of Christ share in his anointing by the Spirit. United in him, they are to serve God in the world in a ministry of caring and compassion.’ Baptism therefore expresses your intention to commit yourself to Christ within the life of the Church. This is why baptism is not primarily a family occasion, but in fact, a Church occasion.
GODPARENTS
As an adult, you no longer require Godparents to assume the responsibility for your spiritual wellbeing, but you are welcome to have your family and those whom you consider your nearest or most faithful Christian supporters with you at the service.
WHAT HAS BAPTISM GOT TO DO WITH CONFIRMATION?
The church Baptises young children soon after their birth to dedicate them to God within the life of the church. During this time children are too young to understand this commitment and assume responsibility for their baptism themselves. That is why they can ‘Confirm’ their Baptism for themselves at a later stage – usually when they are about sixteen years old. However, as an adult, your personal decision to be Baptised is simultaneously a ‘Confirmation’ of your faith and it is for this reason that adults often choose to be Baptised at Confirmation services. If, however, you are not able, or prefer not to be Baptised at a Confirmation service, your attendance at a course which prepares you for Baptism and Confirmation is sufficient to qualify you for full membership of the church and for you to receive communion. If you have not already done so, your Baptism may also serve as the occasion when you receive your first communion.
WHAT IS THE HOLY EUCHARIST OR COMMUNION?
Christian initiation is fulfilled in the Holy Eucharist or Communion. In the sacrament of Communion, under the outward signs of bread and wine, Christian’s share in the life of Christ. The Anglican Prayer Book (1989) says that; ‘In the Holy Eucharist the life given in baptism is fed and sustained with the heavenly food of the body and blood of Christ.’
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