Baptism by the Bay 2009

Getting excited about Baptism by the Bay this afternoon! Since we don't have a church building, we have to get creative about how we handle baptism, and I think that has resulted in celebrations that are much more meaningful and memorable. In the Fall, we do a baptism after a Catacombs worship celebration. In the Spring, we do a baptism on the Saturday night before Easter. And in the summer, we have our Baptism by the Bay-- the biggest and most public event. And it's one of the things that reminds me every year why I do what I do and makes me feel so privileged and humbled that I get to do it.

It also makes me re-think how we help people grow in their faith. Baptism prep fell under my portfolio 4 years ago when I came on staff with NCC full-time. Now, we are bigger with more and larger locations. But we are preparing people for baptism the same way. I'm re-imagining it.

What do you do to prepare people for baptism? What are other churches doing?