New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church

Member Care Ministries

Baptism

There are two important and distinctive beliefs concerning baptism that we follow. The first is “believer’s baptism”, which means that baptism follows a profession of personal faith. The second is we practice baptism by “immersion”, which means that the one being baptized is completely immersed in the water.

Mark 16:16 states: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned. One should profess Christ as their savior before they are baptized".

Matthew 3:16a states: "And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water”. In order for Him to have come up He had to be down and in order for Him to come out He had to be in. HE WAS SUBMERGED! The Greek word baptize, (verb) and baptisma, (noun) are generally understood as meaning “to plunge, dip, immerse” or literally “surround” something in water. The bible also states in John 3:23 “And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came and were baptized". There is also a supporting scripture in Acts 8:36-39. These passages seems to argue that sprinkling will not suffice. Baptism is a true picture of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

There is a lack of any conclusive evidence that infants or those not of responsible age were actually baptized in New Testament times.

What is the meaning of Baptism? Identification with Christ- Transference of ownership and incorporation into His church, Romans 6:3-4 and Acts 2:41.

The mere “mechanical“ act of baptism does not save. However we at New Bethel obey the command of Matthew 28:19, “Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost”.

Child Dedication

We at New Bethel believe children are a gift from God and we are very excited when parents investigate child dedication.

Child dedication is a public commitment you make before God, the church and families. This ceremony provides an opportunity for the parents to express publicly a desire to lead and spiritually nurture their child in cooperation with the Holy Spirit so the child will develop a desire to love God and love others.

The scriptural root of a child dedication is found in I Samuel 1:27-28 where a godly woman named Hannah prayed year after year for God to give her a child. He answered her prayer and she gave birth to a son whom she named Samuel. When Samuel was born Hannah prayed these words: “For this boy I prayed and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him. So I have also dedicated him to the Lord as long as he lives he is dedicated to the Lord".

In Luke chapter 2 of the New Testament, following the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph took the infant Jesus to the temple and dedicated Him.

In both passages above the parents entrusted their child completely to God. For this reason we do not baptize young children but dedicate them to God until they are old enough to be responsible to God for themselves.

Your children are welcomed here and we pray that you will bring them so families will be added to the church to impact the community.

Pastoral Care Ministry

“Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”

(I Peter 5:2-4 NIV)

Mission Statement: To be committed to the well-being of members, visitors and the community as a whole through caring relationships and kind actions, intentionally meeting both the spiritual and physical life needs.

The best gift anyone can give to another is to pray for him or her. We live in a sinful world where bad things happen to people and people are tempted to sin. Praying for another person not only helps that person find God in the midst of trouble, but also helps us recognize the blessings that God gives us daily!

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being” (Ephesians 3:16, NIV).

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (I Corinthians 1:3-4, NIV).

At New Bethel the “Pastoral Care Ministry” is two-fold:

There is a prayer request box on the altar table in the sanctuary. The purpose of that box is for people to put their request in for themselves or loved ones. The Pastor privately reads and prays for every request that has been submitted. These acts manifest confidentiality and private commitment.
If there is a special request for which an individual would like an one-on-one conversation coupled with prayer from an experienced individual, the Pastor Care Ministry has specific members in place who have experienced similar situations. These members can be a comfort to those that are going through. Examples of special requests may include, open heart surgery, cancer, HIV, amputations, etc. No one can understand and encourage like someone who has gone through it!