Baptism

Baptism is a joyous celebration, as well as a sacred one. It is meant to be shared by family, sponsors, godparents, and the whole church community. For this reason, Baptism normally takes place during a regular worship service of the congregation. This enables the members of the Christian community, to which you or your child is entering, to witness the event and offer their prayers, love and support.

In the Lutheran church, baptism is understood as a sacrament: a special act commanded by Christ, given with a physical element, and a means by which God gives us grace, acceptance, forgiveness. Baptism is a gift and is the starting point of the Christian life. At Baptism we are called by name into God’s family. The Holy Spirit, working through God’s word and the water, claims us as a child of God, and we are marked with the cross of Christ forever. Through God’s grace, we are named as an inheritor of all the good gifts the loving Creator has to give. It is a visible sign of God’s invisible gift of acceptance, forgiveness, adoption, and love. It is the beginning of a life lived in relationship with God through Christ. Within this caring community the baptized child of God will have a chance to develop and mature, becoming all that God intends him or her to be.

Gabriel's Ministry

Gabriel's Ministry of Sheridan Lutheran Church is a prayer and support ministry as well as a connecting community offering comfort, understanding, friendship and encouragement. Click here for more information.

First Steps

Baptism is a big event! To help prepare for this special time, we ask that parents attend a special class, "First Steps for Baptism". The class will include teaching about the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, give you an opportunity to meet other families preparing for this special day and offer some encouragement for you as Christian parents.  You are welcome to bring your baby along and the nursery is available for older siblings. You can contact the church office to schedule the baptism prior to attending the class. Contact Kathy Paisley in the church office with any questions.

Baptismal Sponsors

When choosing sponsors for your child, it is important to first look at your family and friends who are worshiping, active Christians. When asking a person or couple to sponsor your child, don’t hesitate to share your thoughts about the commitment involved in baptismal sponsorship. Ask them if they would be able to make this commitment to your child:

• To pray for this child regularly
• To remember this child’s baptismal anniversary and birthday every year with a card or letter
• To be a model of love, care and Christ-like kindness.
• If anything should happen to you, to see to it that the child is brought up in the Christian faith, taught to read the Bible as a source of life and direction, and brought to worship and education classes regularly.

Babies in Christ Mentors

Babies in Christ Mentors serve as a liaison between the church and the home when a family has scheduled a baptism.  They visit with the family to listen to concerns and stories of the new parents, teach about baptism and answer questions, prepare for hosting them on the baby’s baptism day, familiarize the family about the logistics of the ceremony itself, where to sit, stand, etc. The Babies in Christ mentor also delivers gifts from the church -- receiving blanket and sponsor book, growth calendar, Beginnings packet etc. They host the family on baptism day by meeting with them prior to worship to review, answer questions ushering them to the pews, remind them of how the service works, sits with or near them presenting baptismal candle and certificates gifting them with medallion.  Following the baptism the Babies in Christ Mentor prays for the family and follows up with Beginnings/Nursery Roll Packet (2-3 years worth of material to send to family periodically for continued support and contact.)  Above all the Babies in Christ Mentor is there to pray for and support the family in this important stage of their journey.  All families are assigned a Babies in Christ Mentor when they schedule a baptism at Sheridan.  For information on serving as a Babies in Christ Mentor please contact Kathy Paisley at k.paisley@sheridanlutheran.org.