Bap=
tism
is the first step in saying "yes" to letting go of your own l=
ife
and seeing it being birthed in an unending loving way by God in the way
that his beloved son, Jesus, did with his life. See
more...
1. You will offer a public statement of
Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
(What does "public statement of faith” mean? In our culture =
it
has been generally thought to be a boisterous, almost "in your
face" type of a statement. For us it can be the indication from the
previous church where you have been a member that you have made this pu=
blic
statement OR within Fairlawn-West it could mean in a worship service or=
a discipling
group (in which you participate) that you share that your life =
is
dependent on faith in Jesus Christ. The vision is, though, that you will
grow beyond what you are saying, so that you will be comfortable in sha=
ring
your faith in God through Jesus Christ in all kinds of settings of your=
life.
However, as indicated above, this is not a pompous or obnoxious thing w=
e do
to other people. It is something we can't stop ourselves from doing bec=
ause
we have had an experience of Jesus Christ which has so shaped our lives
that we can't stop from sharing that reality with other people. It may =
not
mean that we can recite a whole list of things that we know. This state=
ment
more often than not begins with the heart rather than the mind. To make
this statement means we don't have it all "nailed down", but =
that
within the church we will continually be open to seek to grow and learn=
and
stretch our life and faith. In time our confidence of faith becomes
stronger. As that confidence grows, we realize that to share our faith =
with
the world is less strident, but more real and loving and hopeful even w=
hen the
world around us is despairing, has a fading hope, and little or no
confidence about the future. To make a "statement" is to say =
that
on our own we can't make it. We need someone beyond ourselves to keep us
going. Another way to put it is, someone bey=
ond us
"to give us life." And the most amazing thing happens in that
journey, we begin to realize that this life given to us by our Lord and=
Savior
is more than having a beating heart and a continuous breath. It is both
here in this time and in whatever is time beyond here. It is something
deeper than staying alive physically. It may be hard to describe, but w=
hen
you "see" it you know it. And you will go to great lengths th=
en
to find the words, images, and experiences to share it with others. But
remember, this is a growing experience, knowledge and awareness. We beg=
in wherever
we find ourselves and then set out on the journey to grow.) =
2. =
You
will indicate to the pastor or one of our spiritual elders of Fairlawn=
-West
UCC your affirmation of the following three articles from our Constitut=
ion:
- A. Our Purpose is
- to worship God
- to preach the Gospel (which is the Good News message that Jesus
teaches and the gift of saving humanity through his life, death and
resurrection.)
- to celebrate the sacraments of baptis=
m and The Lord's Supper/Communion.
- to nurture the community of followers=
of
Jesus Christ (known =
as the
Church or the body of Christ)
- to provide loving service for all humanity.
- B. Faith
We...
- claim Jesus Christ as the Head of the Church, as the Son of God =
and
as our Savior.
- claim as family in Christ all who share in this statement of who
Jesus Christ is.
- search for the Word of God in the Bible, and rely on the presence
and power of the Holy Spirit to take our own lives from death to l=
ife
with its creative and redeeming work in the world.
- claim as our own the faith as passed on to us by the Church since
the time of Jesus and as expressed in the traditional
creeds and particularly communicated by those who are part of th=
e Reformed tradition of the Protestant churc=
h. (You are not expe=
cted
to memorize or sign a statement that you agree with every creed or
statement from this tradition. However, you do agree to use these =
as
benchmarks in your own learning experience of growing into Christ.=
)
- affirm the responsibility of the Church in every generation to m=
ake
this faith its own in the way it worships God, in being honest in =
the
ways it thinks and acts, in serving God, in reflecting the love of=
God
in the ways it speaks and acts, and in offering a pure heart in Go=
d's
service.
- C. Covenant (A sacr=
ed
agreement offered by God to us and which we make with God and the
other members of Fairlawn-West UCC.)
We covenant to...
- attend the worship services of the church
- celebrate the Lord's Supper
- seek to live the Christian life
- share in the life and work of the church
- contribute through time, talent and financial offering to the
mission and ministry of the church
- promote the the spiritual welfare of our brothers and sisters in
Christ both within Fairlawn-West United Church of Christ and beyon=
d.
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