We are thrilled that you are considering the significant step of baptism for yourself or your child at First Presbyterian Church of Orlando. Baptism is a meaningful journey – both spiritually and communally – and we are honored to be a part of this important milestone in your faith walk.
Jesus Himself modeled baptism for us in the book of Matthew, as a ritual of purification common to the times. The early church used baptism as an act of committing yourself or your child to the Lord, relying on the grace of God’s instruction, and a covenant bond with the Body of Christ (the church). We see this occur throughout the book of Acts (eight instances, in fact!).
As a community in covenant relationship with one another, baptism signifies the church’s commitment to include someone in the family of faith, nurture their spiritual growth, support them with love and grace, and hold them accountable to the truths explained to us through God’s Word (the Bible). In keeping with our priority of “relationships of radical affection and accountability,” we conduct baptisms only for adults who are covenant partners/members of the church and their children.
For children under the age of 4, the church commits to present the Gospel and pray for that day when they hopefully confess faith in Jesus.
To learn more about who might be baptized in our church family, email Grace Whitlow or call 407.423.3441 x1568.
Click here for the deck to accompany the Infant Baptism seminar with Leigh Swanson.
Older children are encouraged to participate in our annual Confirmation program and can be baptized after a confession of faith in Jesus Christ. If you have questions about Confirmation, email Taylor Boutelle.
Confirmation class takes place each spring, and is typically offered to 4th and 5th graders whose parents are members of First Pres.
Confirmation is a time for your child to confirm his or her faith in Jesus Christ as his/her Lord and Savior, and acknowledge and publicly profess that he/she wants to be His follower prior to being recognized as an official member of First Presbyterian Church of Orlando.
For some children, especially if they have grown up in the church, they may not even be able to remember a time when they did not know Jesus. Other children will be able to pinpoint a specific time when God “called” them to be His child. Confirmation is an opportunity for both of these categories of children to affirm that they know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, to grow in the knowledge of their Christian faith, and to learn what it means to be a lifelong follower, or disciple, of Christ and active participant in the church (local and global). Because the Holy Spirit acts according to His perfect will, we realize that all of the children in Confirmation class have differing levels of spiritual maturity.
There is a place for you in this church family as you grow in your relationship with God. If you want to further explore faith in Jesus and have questions, email our Connect Team.
