Baptism
Baptism forms the basic identity of each of us as a child of God. God loves us, so we in turn might love God and others. God shares the gift of the Holy Spirit so we might have the grace to live and share in the life of Jesus. God cleanses and renews us so we might fully live. God's activity is primary. (That's why we baptize children, because it's a clear sign of the primacy of God's activity in our lives--God loving this child in the hope that one day that love will be returned.)

Baptism is also our response to these gifts, entering into a covenant on how we intend to live. (Baptism has little to do with what happens to us after we die; it has mostly to do with how we choose to live.) In our baptismal covenant, we say that with God’s help we will…

• Continue in the apostles teaching & fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in the prayers.
• Persevere in resisting evil & repent and return to the Lord when we fall into sin.
• Proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ.
• Seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as our self.
• Strive for justice & peace among all people & respect the dignity
  of every human being.

Notice the verbs.....'continue', 'persevere', 'proclaim', 'seek & serve', 'strive' ---baptism is both God's gift and our promise to be active in the work of God's kingdom.

Baptism involves a public setting. The Christian life is not about me and my relationship with God, it is about us and ourrelationship with God as a community--to model that, we only celebrate baptisms at our regularly scheduled services. Baptism involves:

• The incorporation of a person into the community of faith.
• Provides the community of faith the opportunity to renew their own commitment to God.
• A renunciation of evil and a commitment to faith.
• Prayer, thanksgiving and song.
• Water, candles and chrism.
• The presence and welcome of the community

Baptisms occur at significant celebrations throughout the church year:

• The 1st Sunday after Epiphany (the day we celebrate Jesus' baptism)
• Easter (the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus)
• Pentecost (the celebration of the Holy Spirit)
• St. Mary Magdalene Day (our matronal festival)
• All Saints Day (the communion of people through time who have committed themselves to Christ).

This also allows multiple candidates to be baptized at the same service, again reinforcing the importance of community.Prior to these baptismal celebrations is a time for parents, Godparents, and the Clergy to get together to talk about the theology of baptism and to go over the logistics of the baptismal liturgy.

Please contact the parish office to schedule a baptism.

Eucharist

Eucharist is a Greek word meaning 'thanksgiving' and has come to be the name of the service in which we share a meal of bread & wine. The service is also sometimes called 'communion', 'mass', and 'the lord's supper'.Eucharist is the central liturgy of the Christian life. We eat bread and drink wine, because Jesus has directed us to do so. The liturgy is divided into two parts: the liturgy of the word and the liturgy of the table.

• The liturgy of the word is focused around Scripture--there are lessons from the Hebrew Scriptures (sometimes called the Old Testament) , the Psalms, and the Christian Scriptures (sometimes called the New Testament). These readings are followed by a sermon, and a congregational response (usually the Nicene Creed, prayers, a confession, and the Peace.

• The liturgy of the table is focused around the meal of bread and wine. There is a prayer of consecration(or blessing), the Lord's Prayer, the meal itself, and a post-communion prayer & blessing.

Celebrating'Eucharist' is the weekly renewal of our baptismal life, receiving the life of Christ so that we might bear Christ's life to others in love and service.

Marriage

Marriage is the lifelong commitment of a man and a woman to God and to one another. The marriageceremony incorporates the vows, joining of hands, and usually the giving and receiving of rings by the couple involved, and the presence, prayers and blessing of the community of faith.

Marriage is both a sacrament of the church and a civil union; as such, a couple needs a license from the county government and premarital counseling and preparation through the church. Marriages at St Mary Magdalene are not restricted to members of the church. They will, however, be conducted using the service in the Book of Common Prayer. A marriage customary of the policies and procedures for marriages is available upon request from the Parish Office.