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?