Welcoming a new baby is one of the most exciting and stressful times in the life of a family, and Emmanuel is here to help you through this and to help prepare you to raise your child to be a Christian man or woman. 

2009 baptismal dates (Sundays) and times are: November 1 at 10:30, November 8 at 9:00, and December 27 at 10:00 a.m.  2010 baptismal dates (Sundays, except April 3) are:  January 10 at 10:30 a.m., February 7 at 9:00 a.m., February 14 at 10:30 a.m., April 3 (Holy Saturday) at the Great Vigil of Easter at 7:30 p.m., April 11 at 10:00 a.m., April 18 at 10:30 a.m. and May 23 at 10:00 a.m.

Baptismal preparation sessions are held at least quarterly, usually on Tuesday evenings. The next session will take place on Tuesday, December 15.  There's not another preparation session until March 23, 2010, so if you'd like your child baptized before then, be sure to register for the December 15, 2009 class.  There is no cost to attend.  If you would like to attend, please contact Susie Feldmann in the parish office by December 4 to enroll or to schedule a baptismal date (961-2393).

At least one parent must attend an evening preparation session before their child can be baptized at Emmanuel. Grandparents are invited to attend sessions as well, and Godparents are strongly encouraged to be present. If you are pregnant or still deciding about baptizing your child here, please come to one of these sessions. They are a wonderful opportunity to learn more about baptism.

All preparation sessions begin with dinner at 6 p.m. in the Library. Childcare will be available, if you let us know in advance. Sessions run about 3 hours. You need not attend the session closest to your child's baptismal date, just choose one that works with your schedule and is before the day you want to have your child baptized.

Download the Rite of Baptism from the Book of Common Prayer.  If needed, you can download a free version of Adobe's PDF Reader.

Holy Communion

At Emmanuel, we celebrate Jesus Christ's saving work several times a week by remembering the meal he commanded us to continue. This sacrament of bread and wine, which for the believer are the body and blood of Jesus, is sometimes called Holy Communion or Holy Eucharist. The policy of the Episcopal Church is that all baptized Christians are welcome to receive this sacrament. If you are not baptized or if you would not like to receive communion at Emmanuel, feel free to come to the altar, cross your arms over your chest, and receive a blessing from one of our priests. The altar is God's table and not ours, so all are welcome. Children are welcome and encouraged to receive communion as soon as they are baptized.