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Membership Initiative Culminates on Glorious Easter Sunday

The Cayman congregations of the United Church joined, possibly for the first time, in a combined sacrament of Baptism on Good Friday, when a number of persons from different congregations who wished to be baptised by immersion in the sea were baptised at the Spotts Beach. The United Church practices all forms of baptism, sprinkling, pouring and immersion, and including baptism of infants (sometimes called “Christening”), on the understanding that it is not baptism that saves but this is an outward acknowledgement of having accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour, upon acknowledging and repenting of one’s sin. The picture (supplied by Mrs. Julene Banks) shows the Rev. Dr. Dave Hazle and the Rev. Rohan Forrester after completing the baptisms, with a portion of the crowd of other congregants and Clergy from most of the nine congregations, who were there to participate in the service and support their brothers and sisters who came forward for baptism, on what was a beautiful, windy and cool Good Friday.
Another initiative across the Cayman Council of the Church in March was a concentrated effort to encourage many of the hundreds of longstanding Adherents in our Congregations to move to the next step of their Christian commitment and become full Communicant Members of the Church. In every Congregation, each Sunday morning service in March was focused on a different aspect of the theme of greater commitment to the Lordship of Christ – for Members as well as Adherents and any new visitors. In these sermons, aspects of the teachings that would normally take place in candidates classes for new members were also covered. This was supplemented by a special session with those adherents who agreed to take the step to Membership, where the depth of this move could be fully explored and accepted, and the ‘rules’ (not laborious) of the United Church addressed. Acceptance into Communicant Membership of a Congregation of the United Church is by profession of faith in Christ as Lord and Saviour (subject to baptism, earlier or contemporaneously) or by transfer of Membership from another Denomination or Congregation, accompanied by accepting the rights and duties of membership of the United Church. The initiative culminated on Easter Sunday with the dedication of the new Members, a fitting and moving part of our celebration of the glorious Resurrection of  Christ, to the glory of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the sole Head and Foundation of our Church.

Posted by: Administrator Tuesday Apr 02, 2013 08:38
Categories: | Tags: back to God, evangelism, new creation, Renewal & Transformation