Getting Realon Baptism & Membership at Hope UCC
A Congregational Conversation
March 8, 2015
Karen & JoanKaren and Joan have been attending and
participating at Hope and they would like to
join. They have two children and want to
raise them in a loving, inclusive community.
Joan was raised in a Protestant Church and
Karen was raised Buddhist.
Karen is still learning about the Bible,
liturgy, and sacraments. She feels very
welcomed by the community. She has been
taking communion and she really
appreciates the open welcome extended at
the table. Karen is still uncertain about the
ritual of baptism and how it fits in with her
faith. Pastor Amber has invited Karen and
Joan to a membership class and the couple
wants to attend.
What will our choice mean for Karen?
What will it mean for Hope Church?
JohnJohn was raised in the UCC and has
always valued baptism as both a symbol of
God’s love for him and a signifier of his
place in the church. He was baptized as an
infant and his parents chose to raise him in
church community. He took confirmation as
a teenager and confirmed his parents’
decision to be a member of the church.
John’s Christian faith is important to him
and he feels it connects him to others at
Hope and beyond Hope.What will our choice
mean for John?
What will it mean for Hope Church?
JaimeJaime was raised in a conservative
Pentecostal community. He was regularly
expected to show signs that his faith was
legitimate and blessed by the spirit. He was
baptized many times and he felt like he
needed to speak in tongues with the
community. As he moved away from that
tradition, he initially rejected all Christianity,
but missed the sense of community in
church.
At Hope, Jaime has appreciated the
freedom to have doubts and to be on his
own journey. He then heard that baptism is
a requirement for membership at Hope.
Even though he has been baptized multiple
times, the requirement feels like his old
community in which he had to prove his
faith. Now he’s not sure if he fits at Hope.
What will our choice mean for Jaime?
What will it mean for Hope Church?