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In the
Christian Church, baptism is one of our most profound sacraments—one in
which we welcome new members into our community. People choose to be
baptized or to bring children to be baptized for many reasons. These
reasons are as varied as the people themselves: to respond to the
miracle of birth and life, to have the baby begin life in the Church, to
continue a family tradition, to "test the waters" of the church for
themselves, or as a way of starting back to church after a time away.
At Epiphany,
we have baptisms at the primary worship service on Sunday morning. We
generally schedule baptisms on four Sundays per year:
· the
Feast of the Baptism of Jesus
· the
Easter Vigil
· Pentecost
· All
Saint’s Sunday
Additional
baptism dates may be scheduled if it becomes necessary.
We offer
baptism classes twice a year. Our baptism preparation program is designed to
accomplish several things. First, we hope to give you the time and space
to reflect on the meaning of baptism for you and your family. Second, it
is a wonderful opportunity for new members to get to know other families
within the parish. Finally, the classes offer both theological and
practical information about how Baptism works in the Episcopal Church in
general and at the Church of Epiphany in particular. The program
includes a two hour mini-retreat, as well as a series of five weekly
meetings.
At Epiphany,
we have also begun a tradition of having a parish sponsor for each
child, in addition to the traditional God parents. These are individuals
who are members of Epiphany, and who can help those being baptized with
any questions that you may have about life at Epiphany.
If you are planning to be baptized or having your child baptized, or if
you’d like to act as an Epiphany baptism sponsor, please talk to our
Rector. 
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