baptism
Baptism has been a practice of the Christian church since its earliest days. Jesus came to John the Baptist to be baptized, and his baptism marked the beginning of his public ministry. When the church began preaching on the day of Pentecost, the apostles called upon those who believed in Jesus to “repent and be baptized.” From that time forward, baptism has been the sign of entrance into the Christian life and into the fellowship of the church.
Baptism is one of the two sacraments recognized in The United Methodist Church (the other is Holy Communion). In baptism we celebrate the grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ. Grace means unmerited, unearned favor—God’s freely given love. The fundamental truth of the Gospel is that God loved us first.
Through baptism we are initiated into Christ’s holy church and marked as disciples of Jesus Christ. It is both a sign of God’s grace and the beginning of a lifelong journey of faith within the Christian community.






