St. Andrew UMC

And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.” Mark 1:10-11 While Jesus was being baptized, his Father named him Beloved and showered him with pleasure. Just think of the implications for us. Jesus goes into the waters of baptism to publicly affirm that he identifies who he is with who God has made him to be. When we baptize people in the church, we recognize their place in the family – the family of God. Our destiny as God’s eternal family is celebrated. In other words, when we baptize people in the church, we are acknowledging that we belong. We belong to God - and to one another - as members of the family of God. So many people spend their entire lives struggling to find a place where they belong. In fact, each of us wants to know there is a place where we feel accepted and special and respected. At St. Andrew UMC, our hope is that each person who enters our doors will come to understand that through baptism, we belong to God and that we are precious to God and to one another.