Baptism and Communion are two special times that are held and celebrated at Pier Avenue Baptist Church.
Baptism for Baptists
We are called ‘Baptists’ and we practice ‘Believers’ Baptism’ because we believe that being baptised is something a person should choose when he or she understands its meaning. We don’t baptise babies or young children. Somebody can only be baptised in our church when he or she is ready to say that they believe in Jesus and wish to follow him.
When somebody is baptised, he or she is totally covered with the water, usually in a special pool at the church building, but sometimes in a local river or sea. This is called ‘baptism by immersion’. They are supported on either side by two church members.
Before they go into the water, the person will say that:
- They believe in God: Father, Son and Spirit.
- They believe that Jesus is their saviour.
- They are sorry for things that they have done wrong in their lives (sins).
- They will be part of a local church and be involved in serving God in the world.
Communion for Baptists
In Baptist churches, we celebrate Communion or The Lord’s Supper on a regular basis, usually once a month. Everybody attending a time of worship, who believes in Jesus, is invited to listen to some words from the Bible and some prayers and then eat a small piece of bread and drink a small cup of ‘wine’ (non-alcoholic juice or squash) altogether.
We do this because Jesus told his followers to do so, as a way of remembering that he died for us on the cross, to save us from our sins. The bread represents his body and the ‘wine’ is a symbol of his blood.
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