Living into our Baptism: Ancient/Future Formation for Baptismal Living
Presenter: Rev. Bryon Hansen
With the pandemic, fires, racial inequality, and other stresses our life is filled with primary questions: Is there a God? Does God know or love me? What does the saving life of Jesus mean for me and for my community? What shall be my practice of faith? We have deeper and more urgent questions than belong in a newcomers class.
In the early church, seekers faced the same questions and found them answered in an encounter with Jesus Christ through the church community. They met in small groups, studied scripture and discovered the hand of God in each other’s lives. They served, worshipped and were mentored in the slow, powerful growth where God claims us, and we claim the Living God as our own.
The practice of Baptismal Living or the Catechumenal process, is an open door; it welcomes the work of the Holy Spirit consciously into the lives of new and long-term members. Lives are changed, communities are transformed and neighborhoods are helped. It works well in every size of church.
The process is drawn from the ancient pattern of formation and can lead to Baptism, Confirmation or Reaffirmation. It is for any person who is finding or returning to a relationship with God in Jesus Christ. Millennials respond the depth of the practice, and seniors rejoice to find God has purpose and relationship for them still.
Come and see what this life and the practice of Baptismal Living could mean for yourself and your church. Pastor Bryon Hansen, from Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church in Seattle will share his wisdom, practice and hope with us.
"Being a community of practice—of the baptismal life—can be the spiritual and emotional glue that holds us together as we become the Beloved Community, which has got to be one our primary aims." Bishop Megan Traquair
