BAPTISM
Baptism is a symbolic action that signifies the new life God gives us as we join the church community. Baptism uses water as a symbolic cleansing that signifies the acceptance of new life within the church family. The sacrament of baptism is the single rite of initiation into the Christian community, the church.
The United Church offers baptism to all ages. We believe the gift of God's love doesn't depend on our ability to understand it, so we baptize people as infants right up through adulthood. With children, instruction is given to parents or sponsors to equip them for the child's Christian nurture. During the ceremony, which usually takes place as part of a regular worship service, everyone in the congregation pledges support for the child and their parents.
If you are seeking baptism for yourself or your child, please speak to your minister or contact a United Church near you.
Baptism by water in the name of the Holy Trinity
is the means by which we are received, at any age,
into the covenanted community of the church.
It is the ritual that signifies our rebirth in faith
and cleansing by the power of God.
Baptism signifies the nurturing, sustaining,
and transforming power of God’s love
and our grateful response to that grace. (A Song of Faith)
Baptism is not a requirement for God's love. We believe people who die without baptism are in no way condemned, lost, or damned.
Baptism in the United Church is recognized by all denominations of the Christian church that practice infant baptism. Similarly, if someone has already been baptized in another church at any age, the United Church recognizes their baptism and welcomes them as Christians. (UCC)
MARRIAGE: SO YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED
Friends bring us laughter, comfort, and hope. Some went to grade 1 with us; others come through work or a shared passion. And sometimes, somewhere, one stands out from all the rest. This becomes the person with whom you want to share every part of life and meet every aspect of the future, come what may.
Invitations
You’ll celebrate the best way you know how, surrounded by family and friends. Yet, you also understand, regardless of how religious you’ve been, that there is something about this person, this moment, and the depth of this love that is holy, that calls out for a wider blessing.
Life Together
The United Church of |Canada is the perfect place for you to begin a committed life together in marriage, even if you’ve never attended our church. We see people as unique, loved creations of God. We also see relationships as living things. requiring preparation and nurture. We’ll offer you a marriage preparation session, to help you grow through all that life can bring.
Our community is broad and accepting. The United Church marries: previously divorced people and couples of different religions or races.
We believe God intends loving relationships to be faithful, responsible, just, healing, and sustaining of the couple and those around them. These relationships may be between a woman and a man, or between people of the same gender.
Love at Heart
Marriage is grounded in love: private and public. There is God’s love for humanity and love between life partners that is based on trust, mutuality, and commitment. There is also the love of caring communities—families, friends, churches—that support, nurture, challenge, and honour relationships like yours.
AN EARLY CHRISTIAN named Paul once said there are three things that last: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of the three is love.
Invitations
You’ll celebrate the best way you know how, surrounded by family and friends. Yet, you also understand, regardless of how religious you’ve been, that there is something about this person, this moment, and the depth of this love that is holy, that calls out for a wider blessing.
Life Together
The United Church of |Canada is the perfect place for you to begin a committed life together in marriage, even if you’ve never attended our church. We see people as unique, loved creations of God. We also see relationships as living things. requiring preparation and nurture. We’ll offer you a marriage preparation session, to help you grow through all that life can bring.
Our community is broad and accepting. The United Church marries: previously divorced people and couples of different religions or races.
We believe God intends loving relationships to be faithful, responsible, just, healing, and sustaining of the couple and those around them. These relationships may be between a woman and a man, or between people of the same gender.
Love at Heart
Marriage is grounded in love: private and public. There is God’s love for humanity and love between life partners that is based on trust, mutuality, and commitment. There is also the love of caring communities—families, friends, churches—that support, nurture, challenge, and honour relationships like yours.
AN EARLY CHRISTIAN named Paul once said there are three things that last: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of the three is love.
